


Five Days of Spring

by Inkfowl



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: #GobblepotSpring2020, Also Sophia and Oswald are besties, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Basically a five day party, M/M, Oral Sex, Some Plot, Some angst, complicated feelings, some porn, spring break au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:15:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23979595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkfowl/pseuds/Inkfowl
Summary: Oswald and his roommate Sofia throw the best Spring Break party down in Miami.  Oswald is prepared to have the time of his life when Sophia invites the dashing Jim Gordon on their all-inclusive trip.The Falcone villa, unsupervised young adults, unchecked feelings, lots of open bottles, and no rules.  What could go wrong?
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Jim Gordon, Oswald Cobblepot/Other(s)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 33
Collections: Gobblepot Spring 2020





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's a little mindless porn at the end of this chapter...as a treat.

Oswald sat on his bed, half writing an essay and half scrolling through various other tabs. From the living room he heard a scream.

In no time, Sofia Falcone burst into his bedroom holding up her phone. “This flaky bitch!”

His roommate pulled the screen back before he could even look at it. She tapped away at the phone, her manicured nails heightening the sound.

“Who rejects an invitation to the party of the year? I mean...it’s Spring Break! In Miami! At a mansion! Who picks their lame family over that?”

Oswald shrugged. “Maybe she didn’t want to pay the airfare.”

Sofia flopped onto her bed. “Well she should’ve thought about that weeks ago, not days before we leave.”

Oswald turned back to his paper, assuming Sofia was going to launch into a rant about ‘the nerve of some people’. Not that he didn’t love to bitch and complain with her, but sometimes priorities got in the way.

However, she rolled over with a question instead. “Ugh, well, since we’ve got an open invitation, is there anyone else you’d want to invite?”

“Like who? We have a lot of the same friends. Also, I don’t know if there’s anybody left on campus for us  **to** invite.”

“What about that guy you’re banging?”

Oswald looked up. “You’ve got to be a bit more specific, give me a timeline.”

Sofia snickered. “Oh you know, that guy you’re cheating off of in stats.”

“Ed? No, no, no we are  _ not _ banging.” He paused. “I mean, not really. I don’t count handjobs.”

“What about blowjobs?” She got a harsh look. “Kidding! You know I don’t judge. But if you  _ wanted _ to start banging…this break is the perfect time.”

Oswald scoffed. “No thanks. I like to keep my academic life separate from my personal life. Besides, he couldn’t go anyway. I think he was doing some...sponsored trip to...some museum thing...somewhere... When I say I don’t pay attention to  _ anything _ in that class, I mean it.”

Sofia laughed. “Not even Victor Fries in the front row?”

“Not since he got a girlfriend.” Oswald sighed.

“Accidents happen  _ all _ the time…”

The two looked at each other, serious for a moment, and then they both burst out laughing. They were interrupted by a knock on their door. They glanced towards the living room and then shared another look.

After a silent back and forth, Oswald ended up being the one to go get it.

He opened the door to see everyone’s favorite RA. Well...that might not be true, but Jim was certainly Oswald’s favorite.

However, that meant Oswald lost the ability to think once he opened the door.

Jim smiled politely. “Hey.”

Oswald just stared blankly for a few seconds. “You’re still here?” That was dumb.

“Uh…” his face fell for a moment, but he brought it back with a shrug, “yeah. RAs aren’t supposed to leave early. Although, I don’t have anywhere else to be anyway so...taking full advantage of that free room and board.”

The joke got both of them to chuckle. Then a silence started building between them so Jim cleared his throat. “So...I uh, I stopped by to...do some required check-ins! Making sure you know the dining hall hours have changed, throw out any garbage if you’re leaving...that kind of stuff.”

“Ah, got it.”

Jim nodded a few times. “Okay, good. Job’s done then.”

He gave a small salute, but continued to stand in the hallway. “So...so I forgot, were you one of the ones staying or…”

Before Oswald could answer, Sofia snuck her way into the conversation. “Thankfully not. We do a yearly trip to Miami.”

Jim looked at her and pointed. “Ah, that’s right, that’s right. Should’ve remembered from last year.”

Oswald was going to say something along the lines of ‘it’s hard to remember everyone’, but Sofia spoke first.

“You should’ve. I’m surprised, I thought we were all friends here!”

“Oh, well I’m…”

She snapped her fingers. “Hey, here’s an idea! Why don’t you come with us this year? That way you’ll never be able to forget it.”

She also nudged Oswald at the end. It went unnoticed by Jim, who was looking off to the side. “O-Oh...I uh...I don’t know.”

Oswald got another nudge. “I-It’ll be fun, you should think about it!”

Sofia continued the sale. “You definitely should! There’s an open room at my father’s mansion, private beach, and the best part, fully stocked bar. It’s a relatively small group, and we have bonfires, dances, all sorts of activities.”

Oswald nodded. “She’s right, it’s basically a week long free for all. Besides, didn’t you say you didn’t have any other plans for Spring Break?”

Jim looked between the two of them, and then a smile crept onto his face. “Jeez, that’s a pretty good pitch. But…I’m kind of trying to limit my spending, so I probably can’t-”

That last line made Oswald’s heart sink. He was actually getting excited at the prospect of Jim coming along. As if Sofia could sense it, she grabbed Oswald’s shoulders and used her last resort.

“We can even give you a ride in the private jet! You wouldn’t turn down a completely free trip with your floor mates would you?”

Jim’s mouth opened and closed several times as he sputtered and eventually threw his hands up. “I-I mean, i-if you’re serious I couldn’t possibly say no.”

“I’m dead serious. It’s settled, you’re coming with us. we’ll text you the details.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Sofia threw up her arms.

“O-Okay, okay!” Jim’s smile returned. “T-Thank you! I uh, I don’t- W-When are you leaving? What should I-”

Sofia held up a finger. “We’ll text you all the details in a bit, don’t worry about a thing. You just go on with your business and think about all the fun we’re going to have.”

“Oh, um...yeah, okay. I-I’ll see you both later then.” He waved at Sofia, and then his eyes glanced to Oswald. “Bye Oswald.”

“Bye Jim.” He hoped it didn’t sound as wistful as he thought.

Jim got in one more ‘thank you’ before Sofia started closing the door. Once the latch clicked into place, Sofia turned to her roommate with a mischievous grin.

Oswald could feel his cheeks getting pink. She knew what she did. He started to speak. “So, you’ll give him a free flight, but not-”

“Because now you two can hook up! I’m calling it. I’m making it happen. Yes, I’m the best friend in the world, you’re welcome.” When she saw Oswald wasn’t going to say anything, she continued. “I’m sorry, unless you  _ didn’t _ want me to invite your super hot crush to party with us.”

“I-I don’t know if I’d say crush…”

“Are you kidding? You’ve only been mentioning how much you want to fuck him since we moved in. We’ve been on the same floor for two years. I’ve listened to enough pining.”

“Pining?” Oswald sounded offended. “I don’t  _ pine _ . That’s for people with feelings.”

“Pining, lusting, whatever. Point is, I am granting you this time together to do with what you will. You’re. Welcome.” She clapped at the end to signal that the conversation was over.

Oswald shook his head with a smile, and then let out a dramatic sigh before going to flop on his bed.

* * *

Sofia made Oswald knock on Jim’s door as they got ready to leave. It took awhile for the door to open, but there was Jim, a backpack over one shoulder and a duffle bag in hand.

Even in joggers and a plain shirt he was handsome as ever. “Oh hey. Sorry, I just had some last minute things to throw together.”

Oswald had no concept of ‘last-minute’ because he and Sofia were always three steps ahead, but he smiled anyway. “That’s fine, we were just getting ready ourselves.”

As if on cue, Sofia came strolling up with their luggage, consisting of two suitcases and three large bags. “Alright people, the car’s waiting for us. Let’s move out.”

Oswald took his bags and followed after her with Jim trailing behind. Jim snuck up to Oswald and whispered. “Did I miss the memo to dress up? I thought we were just traveling.”

“Oh, that’s just Sofia. If she’s not dressed to kill, she’s not leaving the room.”

“ _ Just _ Sofia?” Jim glanced at Oswald’s not so casual attire. 

If it wasn’t for the sweet smile, Oswald might’ve been offended, but instead he was a little flattered. Even more so when Jim added. “I guess that’s why they call it traveling in style, huh?”

Oswald hoped he wasn’t blushing too much, usually he was the initiator for these things. Although, knowing Jim’s personality from living in close quarters, it could be a harmless joke too.

A driver was waiting for them in the parking lot who took them to the Falcone's private jet. Jim gave Oswald a lot of looks, continuing to whisper here and there about the extravagance of it all. It was kind of adorable how he made sheepish comments about feeling out of place, only to have Oswald, and occasionally Sofia, quickly dismiss any such notion. He finally relaxed a bit once they were in the air, engaging in light conversation and swapping stories about classes.

The plane ride made Oswald think about what an odd relationship they had. He’d known Jim for two years, he’d consider them to be friends. They acknowledged each other in passing, sometimes Jim would join the lunch table, or they’d run into each other during a club event, etc. But it still felt like there was a large distance between them. For instance, anytime they hung out it was in a large group setting. Jim had never been to any of the more private parties hosted in their dorm. Although...for good reason.

Oswald and Sofia weren’t the most law-abiding citizens on campus. At least now they were of the legal drinking age, but smoking, lighting candles, etc. were still things an RA would report. And even though the two knew Jim to a degree, they were pretty sure he wasn’t one of the  _ “chill” _ RAs. Thus, he was never invited to parties, and Oswald never had a good chance to get close to him. Now, there were no rules on break, and even if there were, there really wasn’t anyone to tell.

From the private jet they were taken by another car to the Falcone’s Miami villa. As their luggage was brought inside, Carmine Falcone himself came out the front door to greet his daughter.

“There she is, my little girl.” They exchanged a hug and a kiss. “I trust the flight was acceptable.”

“Perfect as always.”

Then Carmine turned to shake Oswald’s hand. “Ah, Oswald, nice to see you again. How have you been, how’s the family?”

“Um, pretty good. Well...dad has to go back for more tests, but we don’t think it’s too severe.”

Carmine patted his back. “Elijah’s tough, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Not to mention he’s got Gertrud there to take care of him. I wouldn’t be worried.”

Oswald smiled politely. “Thank you.”

Finally, Carmine faced Jim, looking him over. “You must be James Gordon. Sofia said there’d be an extra passenger.”

“Uh...yeah, that’d be me.” Jim chuckled nervously and extended his hand.

There was a moment of tension as Carmine didn’t take it, but then he eventually grabbed Jim’s hands with both of his own. “Well it’s nice to meet you young man. Sofia rarely lets me  _ meet _ any of her friends, I’m just supposed to trust them alone in my house.”

Jim quickly glanced at Oswald and Sofia. “You’re leaving?”

Carmine waved a hand in the air. “Trust me, I don’t want to be here as much as you kids don’t want me to be here.”

Sofia stood next to her father. “It’s sort of a Spring swap.”

“She gets her break and I get to go to work.” He gave her a side hug. “Alright, have fun, but nothing I can’t cover up.”

“Of course. Have a safe trip.”

Sofia waved as her father got into the car they just left. He raised his hand as a goodbye, and then the vehicle turned and left. Sofia kept waving until the car was out of sight.

Then she let out a huge sigh before clapping her hands together. “Okay, time to get situated and maybe sneak a nap in before everybody else shows up.”

Oswald followed her up the steps when Jim whispered to him again. “Do you know what he meant by  _ cover up _ ?”

From years of being family friends, Oswald knew  _ exactly _ what Carmine meant. “Uh...inside joke.”

“Oh. Okay because I wasn’t…” Jim’s voice trailed off once they were in the foyer of the villa.

Vaulted ceilings, open space, and the decor was the perfect combination of modern and traditional.

Sofia looked over her shoulder. “Do you want the tour now or later?”

Jim was still craning his neck to take in the whole sight. “Uh...I think I can wait.”

“Good. Then I only have to go through this once.” She kept walking towards a grand staircase. “But I will show you to your room.”

“Wait, like an actual bedroom?”

“Of course. What, do you think we’re animals?”

Jim scoffed. “No, I just...I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of sleeping bags and air mattresses. I mean...how many people are staying here?”

“Hm,” Sofia paused to count, “Oswald and myself included...seven.”

“This place has seven bedrooms?”

“No, only six. Two of our guests are a couple and requested to share.” Once she reached the top she stopped. “Although, if you would prefer a sleeping bag situation that can be arranged. I’m sure someone else would love to take it.”

“No, no. A bed is great, thank you.”

When she turned down a hallway, Oswald and Jim trailed after her. After a few steps Jim spoke up again. “What did you mean by someone else? I thought there were only seven people.”

“Well…” She ended it with a shrug.

Oswald finished for her. “There’s always more who show up. Usually partiers who are too drunk to go home get to crash on various sofas and carpets.”

Jim looked at him. “How often does that-”

Sofia opened a door on the right. “Here you are.”

The bedroom was about the size of two dorm bedrooms with a queen bed in the middle. It was more old fashioned than the rest of the house, dated wallpaper and decor, but otherwise it resembled a cozy hotel room. Jim’s bags had already been brought in and were set by the nightstand.

Jim stepped in and looked around. “Yeah...I think this is in the running for nicest places I’ve stayed.”

Oswald didn’t originally intend to say his next words aloud, but he didn’t regret them. “If you think this room is nice, you should see mine.”

It took a moment, but then Jim smiled. “I’m sure I will.”

Time seemed to stop as they shared a look. Oswald was worried Sofia was going to say something, but it was actually Jim who broke the silence as his face fell just a bit. “U-Unless that’s not part of the tour I mean.”

This time it was Sofia. “I think that’s part of the  _ private _ tour.”

Oswald wanted to elbow her, but after a beat she just chuckled. “But in all seriousness, if you have any questions we’re down the hall. Otherwise, you’ve got a couple hours to relax. The bathroom is the first door on the left and the wifi password is lowercase ‘coolio417’ don’t ask why, it was my brother’s idea.”

“Oh, okay. Well I’ll probably just unpack. Once again, thank you for doing this.”

“No worries, happy to do it.” Sophia merely raised her hand as a type of wave and then started walking away.

Oswald lingered to give Jim a quick smile. “Really, if you have anything to talk about we’re not far.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Ugh, that sounds like something I’d be required to say.”

They both laughed. Then Oswald shook his head. “Please you’re not that cheesy.”

“You’re right, I’m probably worse.”

“No! Don’t say that, you’re the best RA on the whole damn campus.”

Jim sarcastically put a hand on his heart. “Well it’s only because I have such great tenants like you.”

It was played off as a joke, but when Jim met Oswald’s eyes and it was enough to make Oswald’s cheeks warm. 

Jim glanced away first. “But...thanks anyway, it means I’m doing something right. Be sure to put that in your end of the year review.”

“Uh huh, of course, of course.” Oswald smiled. “See you soon.”

Oswald stopped in his own room just to sort some of his luggage, but then he spent the rest of the time in Sofia’s room. Occasionally they’d leave to greet new guests and bring them upstairs so they could relax. In between greetings, they’d go back and forth on what to wear that evening. Currently, it was Sofia’s turn cycling through several different outfits and accessories.

“Is this dress too much for the first night? Should I save it for the last party?”

Oswald watched her from the bed. “I struggled with that same question. Why must we both start and end our week with a bang?”

“Because,” Sofia sighed, “that’s the burden of being rich and beautiful. Or at least that’s  **my** reason.”

She threw a look back to Oswald who rolled his eyes as dramatically as he could. “Wow...just because your family is a  _ few _ million richer than mine.”

“Oh. You think  _ that’s _ the part I was talking about?”

This time Oswald’s jaw dropped and he stood up. “Bitch! Take that back!”

He spun around to show off his outfit - purple shorts and a short sleeved black button up with some sparkle on the collar. As if that wasn’t enough, he gestured at his face of makeup, matching in color and glitter. “I mean, look at this. Look. At. This.”

Sofia smirked and tapped his nose. “Kidding, you’re always fabulous to me. I especially love how desperate you make yourself. You might as well be wearing a sign that says ‘open for business’.”

“For the last time, I don’t like mixing business and pleasure.”

They laughed at each other and spoke in unison. “Unless that business  **is** pleasure.”

Oswald stood next to her by the mirror, fixing a few hairs. ”And that is the plan for tonight.”

“Oh? You have a plan?”

“I always have a plan. I’m going to flirt a little, leave him wanting more, and repeat until he’s putty in my hands.”

“Ooo, tried and true, good choice.” Then Sofia picked up a black and white dress. “And speaking of choices, I think I’ve made mine.”

“Good.” Oswald held up his phone. “Because it is party time.”

* * *

As promised, Sofia gave everyone a quick tour of the villa, and she ended in front of the glass doors leading to the beach.

“And this is my favorite part of the house because right outside is the start of the best five days of your life. Drink, be merry, do whatever you want. The only rule is…” Sofia’s smile was replaced with an intense stare, “don’t break my shit. You  _ will  _ be getting billed.”

Her face brightened instantly as she flung open the doors. “So, let’s party shall we?”

People seemed to share her enthusiasm as they headed out to the beach. Strings of lights hung above a large deck with plenty of furniture. People milled about, migrating between the sandy dancefloor, bar, and a fire pit. Food was also laid out on a long table so the aroma of hors d'oeuvres mixed with the salty sea spray blowing up the shore, and the heavy scent of marijuana from some of the partygoers.

As time wore on, the amount of people grew and grew so there was a nice sized crowd outside. Oswald drifted about the space, taking part in the range of activities while mingling, but he always came back to Jim.

He had two shots in his hand and handed one to the blonde. “Hello again, how are things over here?”

Jim took the plastic glass with a chuckle. “Not great. I think I’m starting to have double vision. Every time I look around it seems there’s twice as many people. I thought there were only supposed to be seven.”

“Well...seven  _ staying _ here. There’s always more. Family friends in the area, other students staying in nearby hotels, you know how the word gets out. I like to compare it to Gatsby’s parties.”  _ Homoerotic subtext included _ . Oswald didn’t say it, but he hoped it came through his gaze.

Apparently it did because Jim raised his glass and winked. “Well then, cheers Old Sport.”

Oswald clinked theirs together and they both downed the drink. Jim cringed and tossed the empty cups away. “Ugh, I should slow down.”

“Yeah, you’ll never make it to the body shot portion of the night with that attitude.”

“The  **what** ?” Jim’s eyes were big, but he also stole a glance at Oswald’s partially open shirt.

Seeing the wheels turning made Oswald’s pulse race. Maybe Jim was equally excited to get a taste. However, instead of pouncing on the other man, Oswald just poked Jim’s chest.

“Kidding. Although...that does usually happen later in the week. Sofia likes to make a contest out of it. It gets very competitive”

“So what,” Jim moved a little closer, “are you saying I should practice?”

The thought was tempting, but Oswald just crossed his arms and shrugged. “I’m not saying anything.”

Despite the music and surrounding conversations, there was a beat of silence as Jim’s eyes drifted to Oswald’s lips, as if waiting for him to say more. But Oswald kept quiet, enjoying how it felt to have Jim right where he wanted him; and that only meant one thing.

Oswald started to walk away. “Well, I suppose I should check in with the other guests.”

“You’re leaving me again?”

Oswald paused, and then turned back. “You’d prefer if I stayed?”

“I…” it could’ve just been the booze, but Jim’s face was red, “it just feels like I haven’t seen much of you tonight.”

Very slowly, Oswald stepped forward so they were practically toe to toe. “Would you like to see more of me?”

Jim’s breath hitched just a little, and it appeared he was at a loss for words. That’s fine, Oswald had plenty.

He licked his lips. “Because I’d like to see more of you.”

This time Jim didn’t have to say anything. He just had to lean in to meet Oswald in the middle. The kiss was soft for about the first second, then it evolved into something a bit rougher and dirtier. Oswald’s tongue snuck in and he could still taste the alcohol on Jim’s lips. He assumed Jim’s tongue had a similar experience as it explored his own mouth.

Oswald got his hands in Jim’s hair and across his chest. Jim grabbed Oswald’s hips and pulled him closer. A few people took notice by the way they whispered or chuckled, but it didn’t much matter because things like this happened all the time.

It certainly didn’t matter to Oswald. He grasped any part of Jim he could, and eventually his kisses started roaming too. At the first moan he got from Jim, he stopped.

Oswald looked Jim in the eye, their noses almost touching, and whispered. “So, do you still want the private tour?”

Jim placed a peck on his lips. “Lead on.”

Holding hands, Oswald tugged Jim through the crowd. They stumbled a bit trying to make their way up the stairs, but soon Oswald pulled Jim into his bedroom.

* * *

After the door shut, Oswald pushed Jim onto the mattress and climbed on top of him. There wasn’t any grace or patience about it, that was long gone. Now it was just a race to see who could get out of their clothes faster. Of course, their intoxicated state made that a little difficult, as did their desire to kiss and caress the other.

Oswald still finished first, and while he waited for Jim, he crawled over to retrieve the bottle of lube from the nightstand, as well as a few condoms. He didn’t know what they’d be doing exactly, but it was best to be prepared.

He turned around, but stopped when he saw Jim’s naked figure. Fuck, this man was gorgeous. Oswald spent two years wondering what was under those hoodies and jeans, and his imagination never came up with something so wonderful. So mouthwatering.

Jim’s cock stood erect, and Oswald couldn’t wait to get his lips around it. However, before he could move, Jim grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss. It was fast, filthy, but it left them both breathless.

Jim bit Oswald’s bottom lip and then smiled. “So...what do you want to do?”

“I’d really, really, really like to suck your dick.” Not too desperate.

Jim only chuckled. “I see no problem with that.”

Except Oswald had a slight problem. “Although, I’d also like you to fuck me.”

“Hm…” Jim kissed him, “why not a little of both?”

Oswald giggled. “Perfect solution.”

“But…” Jim trailed his lips up to Oswald’s ear, “only if I get to suck you off after.”

Oswald shuddered at the image and the way Jim nibbled his ear. “Ugh, if I can last that long. God you’re hot.”

Then he grabbed Jim’s face and started covering it in kisses. Jim just laughed and took one of the condoms from Oswald’s hand.

“I’ll take that as a sign to hurry up.” Jim fumbled with the foil wrapper, but he was easily distracted by Oswald curling lubed fingers around his shaft. This allowed Oswald to snatch the rubber from him. “Wha- I-I can do it myself.”

“I know…” Oswald gave him a peck, “but I wanted to show you this trick.”

“What tr-” Jim stopped when he saw Oswald pop the elastic band between his lips. “Oh…”

With a wink, Oswald shifted down to Jim’s cock. He held it with one hand as he pressed the condom onto the tip, but took his time rolling it down with just his tongue. He was rewarded with a long moan from Jim, in addition to the wonderfully heavy feeling of having a cock fill his mouth.

He hummed with delight before circling his tongue to explore this new member. He wished he could snuck a taste, but he was fine settling for the latex. Besides, it was good enough just having Jim there, groaning at Oswald’s touch. Once Oswald got his lips around the base he started sucking and licking with more vigor. Then he used a free hand to toy with Jim’s testicles. Meanwhile, Jim’s hand found its way to Oswald’s hair, messing with the once structured spikes.

Oswald would’ve been content to stay in this position, but he couldn’t stop thinking about everything to come. He gently scraped his teeth along the underside as he popped off, prompting a whine from Jim. Then he gave Jim a smile before crawling up to the head of the bed.

“So...ready for part two?”

Before answering, Jim pulled Oswald down for a messy kiss. “I don’t know if I can handle it, you’re so amazing, I can’t imagine it getting better.”

This time Oswald brought their lips together, but it was really more tongues and teeth than anything. Then he let out a low chuckle. “I was thinking the same thing. You already feel so good I can’t wait to have more.”

“Fuck.” Jim muttered and claimed another kiss. “How would you like me then?”

“On top obviously. I’m not doing all the work tonight.”

“Alright,” Jim had a wicked smile and then in a flash he flipped Oswald over, “will this be okay?”

“More than okay, perfect.” They proceeded to kiss and nip at each other in that position for a while.

Oswald whined when Jim pulled away, but any disappointment quickly vanished when he heard the snap of the lube bottle. He lightly gasped as Jim slid in one slick finger. He raised his head to claim Jim’s mouth again, and shortly after a second finger was added, followed by a third.  Oswald couldn’t hold in a throaty groan as he rocked back, pushing each digit deeper. It was a little rushed, but the stretch felt so good and the faster this went the soon he would have Jim’s-

“Ah!” Oswald arched his back when Jim curled his fingers just right.

Jim licked along Oswald’s jaw before whispering. “I want you.”

Those three words made Oswald pull away so he could look into Jim’s eyes. They were the same beautiful blue, but now the pupils were blown wide. Oswald could almost see his reflection as he panted.

“Then take me.”

Jim smiled again as he withdrew his fingers. It wasn’t as hungry or devious as the first one, this smile had some tenderness to it. A tenderness that shot through the pretense of raw desire, and straight to Oswald’s heart. He might’ve gotten an ‘I love you’ out if it wasn’t for Jim’s cock pushing inside him.

Oswald moaned loudly and held onto Jim’s shoulders as the man buried himself to the hilt. It felt even better than expected, and even though Oswald would’ve liked to stay in that passionate moment, he’d like to have Jim wreck him even more.

He tried grinding down as a way to tell Jim what he needed, and thankfully it worked. Jim gripped each of Oswald’s legs and pushed them up so it was a little easier for him to start thrusting. It didn’t take long for him to pick up speed, which meant it also didn’t take long for Oswald to start moaning and panting every time Jim slammed into him.

Oswald grasped at the bedsheets with one hand, and then at his aching cock with the other. He knew Jim mentioned blowing him earlier, but Oswald couldn’t wait that long. Not when everything felt so good right now.

Except Jim actually let go of his leg to slap the hand away. Oswald was going to protest, but his growl was swallowed as Jim pressed their mouths together. Then it devolved into a groan as Jim’s hand replaced his. At least now he was free to run his fingers through that soft blond hair.

The pace was ruthless, almost to the point that it hurt whenever Jim hit that sweet spot. Still, Oswald writhed with pleasure at the sensation.

“Ah, yes! Yes, yes fuck!” Oswald jerked his hips as best he could. It was too much to have Jim both pumping him and pumping in and out of him. “J-Jim, Jim please…”

His whine got a moan from Jim in reply. Then there was the physical response in the form of Jim twisting his hand around Oswald’s member, the perfect move of the wrist to Oswald over the edge. He threw his head back as he spilled all over Jim’s fist. It only took Jim a few more hard thrusts to join him in ecstasy.

Spent, Jim tied off the condom and threw it away before flopping down on the bed next to Oswald. He sighed. “It’s too bad our deal fell through.”

Oswald laughed and put a hand on Jim’s cheek. “Hey, still got a few days of fun. You might get another chance.”

“Hm.” That’s all he said before kissing Oswald’s hand, and then turning onto his side.

Oswald smiled to himself, and then let his body relax as he closed his eyes.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Villa's on a beach, so naturally I had to do a bit of a "beach episode" at some point. However, it's mostly Oswald being pouty, Jim being difficult, and guest star Zsasz. All followed by shots, shots, shots!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took way too long to write, or maybe it's because I don't typically write chapters this long.

A ray of sunlight landed on Oswald’s face. He was blinded as soon as he opened his eyes, and tried to hide under a pillow. But it was too late, he was awake. With a grumble he started to stretch and yawn, hopefully not hitting Jim.

He rolled over to look at his still sleeping partner. “Good mor…”

Except the bed was empty.

Oswald sat up, but he stopped himself from frantically looking around. This was fine. Jim was gone, so what? Maybe he went to the bathroom or went to change clothes. Whatever the reason, Oswald wasn’t going to be caught worrying about it.

His clothes from last night were no longer thrown about, but consolidated in a pile, Jim must’ve picked up a little before disappearing. No, disappearing sounded like Jim had an obligation to stay. Oswald walked past them to pull out a plain t-shirt and shorts from the dresser. Good enough for now.

When he was out in the hall he considered knocking on Jim’s door, just to see if everything was okay. However, before he raised his hand, he heard an ‘excuse me’. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Jim, it was just some guy looking to get past him. Oswald politely moved to the side of the hallway and looked back to see where the man came from.

Sofia leaned on her door frame with just her robe on. “Good morning.”

Oswald pointed his thumb down the hall. “Appears you had a  _ very _ good morning.”

“Meh, no complaints. I’m sure  _ your _ morning was better.” She added a wink.

He glanced to the side, crossing his arms. "Hm, yeah about that…"

"Oh?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Oh."

Sofia's mouth hung open and for a few moments they communicated through a series of silent gestures and looks. Finally, Sofia just shook her head and pulled him inside her room. As soon as the door shut, she spun on him.

"He left you?!"

"I know!"

"The nerve!"

"The audacity!"

Sofia threw up her hands and sat on her bed. "I had such high hopes for you two."

"You think I didn't?” Oswald flopped next to her. “I mean...at least I didn’t tell him I loved him last night.”

“You  **_what_ ** ?” She looked horrified. “Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot! How drunk, high, whatever  _ were _ you?”

“I said I  _ didn’t _ . God, can you imagine how embarrassing?” Then he scoffed. “Almost as embarrassing as waking up to an empty bed. Ugh, I’m trying not to overthink it, tell me not to overthink it.”

She turned to him, very serious. “Whatever you do, don’t spend one second thinking it’s your fault. You’re perfect. You know, maybe he had to take a call or do something.”

“Yeah… O-Or maybe he went down to breakfast.”

Sofia pointed. “That’s probably it. The smell of Alfonso’s bacon could lure anyone downstairs. Even away from a gem like you.”

“That’s true. Simple explanation.” Oswald nodded, trying to convince himself.

Sofia stood up. “So, I’m going to put on clothes and we can check the kitchen. Also...talking about food has made me hungry.”

She slipped into something quick and they walked downstairs together. There was a rich aroma coming from the kitchen, as well as light chatter from the other guests who were awake. Oswald recognized Jim’s voice among the others. However, as they started to turn the corner, Sofia’s arm flew up to stop him.

Jim was sitting on a barstool at the counter, next to some strawberry blonde, chatting and laughing. Which could’ve been perfectly innocent, except they were leaning in suspiciously close. Even that could be forgivable, but what couldn’t go overlooked was the moment she picked up a piece of fruit and fed it to him. He  _ accepted the fruit _ .

Oswald gasped, and that’s when Sofia tugged him back around the corner. Once more they had a silent conversation, but this time involved a lot more flailing and wider eyes. Sofia paced back and forth in the hallway.

“What is wrong with him?”

Oswald shook his head. “I...I… Know what? No, I’m not going to let this get to me. I’m over it.”

“Mmhm, mmhm.” Sofia stopped and grabbed his face. “That’s right. You’re over it. You’re better than that fruit munching loser.”

“I am.”

“You are.” She straightened up. “Now, we’re going to walk in there unbothered, right?”

“Of course. Someone’s bothered? Certainly not me, and certainly not over some guy.”

“You’ve got that right.”

A quick hair adjustment and then the friends strode in, laughing at nothing. Sofia nudged Oswald. “Oh my goodness, no way! That’s so funny!”

She stopped as if just noticing the other people in the room. “Oh, good morning everyone.”

A few people repeated the phrase back to her. Jim looked up too, but his focus went right to Oswald. Too bad for Jim, it went largely unnoticed. Oswald walked right by him, following Sofia to the other end of the kitchen. They even took seats at the opposite side of the room.

Occasionally Oswald would glance over, but he only ever saw Jim’s back or maybe the side of his face. Even after brunch was over they didn’t run into each other. Which was fine because Oswald didn’t really want to talk to Jim yet. But, hypocritical as it was, Oswald didn’t want to believe Jim was avoiding him as much as he was avoiding Jim. Still, they were in the same house, it couldn’t stay this way forever, but Oswald was determined not to break the silence first.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent outside on the Falcone’s little slice of a private beach.

Oswald didn’t swim much, but he wasn’t going to let his beachwear fashion go unseen. A new black coverup to match his tank top and wide brimmed hat. The only spots of color were the rainbow details on his swim trunks and the red lenses of his sunglasses. He strolled out next to Sofia who was in equally dark colors. Her strappy bikini was all black, but her kimono had tiny red flowers. Sequined wedge flip flops gave her even more height which made her legs seem even longer.

They stopped just outside the door when Oswald grabbed her arm. “Now that’s just not fair.”

He pointed further down the beach to a game of frisbee, but more specifically one of the players. Jim wasn’t on any of the college’s sports teams, but he talked about participating in clubs and his own fitness routines, and it  _ showed _ . He didn’t quite have a six pack, but every muscle above his waist was well defined. And on top of that, the sun made each blonde lock shine like gold. Every catch and toss was breathtaking.

Sofia lowered her shades and whistled. “What’s not fair is that you got to see  _ all _ that last night.”

Oswald gave her a look and shook his head. “Yeah, well now it’s like he’s mocking me.”

Sofia chuckled. “My, my you’re really in it aren’t you? What happened to Mr. ‘I don’t pine’ Cobblepot?”

“This is  **not** pining or crushing or anything!” He whispered harshly. “I am  _ scorned _ . I thought you were on my side for this!”

“Darling I am, but I think you’re overreacting just a bit. I mean, this isn’t the first time you’ve woken up to an empty bed, but this is the first time you’ve been so upset about it.”

Oswald scoffed and sputtered, but he had nothing to say back to her. So she kept talking.

“This is supposed to be five days of fun, and because you’re my best friend I want you to have fun. So what can I do to get you out of this funk? Should I feed Jim to the sharks or what?”

At that, Oswald laughed. “Keep the sharks at bay...for now.” Then he sighed. “I just don’t know what to make of it, I’d need to talk to him first, but I also-”

Sofia turned away and started yelling. “Jim! Hey Jim! Could you come over here a second?”

Oswald hadn’t gotten any sun, but his face was already red as he hissed at Sofia. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You said you needed to talk to him.”

“Not  _ now _ ! I was  _ going _ to say that I-”

He was interrupted by Jim jogging up to them. “Hey.”

The two immediately straightened up. Sofia put on a gentle smile. “Hey.”

Then there was a beat before he looked at Oswald. “Uh, hi Oswald.”

Oswald nodded. “Hello...Jim.”

Some more awkward silence followed at them all sort of looked at each other. Then Jim cleared his throat, turning back to Sofia. “So...um, am I in trouble or something?”

“Well...that depends…” She deferred to Oswald with a glance.

He was thankful for his shades, which partially hid his glare, but he just shrugged at Jim. “Y-Yeah, that depends...on um...i-if you’re...if you’re wearing sunscreen! As one of our guests, Sofia and I are very concerned about everyone’s health and since you’re new to the scene we wanted to make sure you’re being safe.”

Sofia snapped her fingers. “Sure, yes,  _ that _ is why I called you over here.”

If Jim was suspicious he didn’t show it. “Oh, y-yeah I am. Thanks for the concern though, gotta stay safe.”

“Mmhm, well...I think that’s everything then.” She gave one last look to Oswald, but seeing he had nothing to add, she waved to Jim. “Enjoy the beach.”

He waved to both of them and jogged back to his game. Once he was far enough away, Sofia crossed her arms. “So when  _ are _ you planning on talking to him?”

Oswald rolled his eyes and started walking further down the beach with Sofia right alongside him. “Ugh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll wait for a more private setting?”

“It’s a house party. An opportunity for privacy isn’t just going to fall out of the…” She pursed her lips. “Fine. Fine, I understand, but promise me you’ll try to have fun, I can’t stand to see you mopey. After all…”

Sofia held out her arms in front of the beautiful blue water. “Plenty of fish in the sea.”

“You make that joke every year and it never gets funnier.” But Oswald still smiled.

Sofia laughed and that’s where they parted ways. She went towards the people playing volleyball, and Oswald went to relax in one of the loungers along the shore.

* * *

How much time passed, Oswald was unsure. He was just laying under a beach umbrella listening to the sound of the waves and other people enjoying the day. That is until he heard footsteps approaching and then felt breath on his face. He opened his eyes and stared, unamused, at the face hovering above.

“Hello Zsasz.”

“Miss me?” Victor Zsasz didn’t bother to move, but he did smile.

“Didn’t we just see each other at breakfast?”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t miss me. Time is relative.”

Oswald scoffed. “Fine, you know I always miss you.”

“Ha ha, that means you have to kiss me.”

Oswald laughed, but he kissed the tips of his fingers before using them to lightly smack that bald head. Zsasz only snickered as he stood straight so Oswald could finally sit up.

“Please don’t tell me Sofia sent you over here.”

“No, why would she do that?”

“To try and cheer me up.”

Zsasz’s mouth fell into a perfect ‘o’ and he crawled behind Oswald on the lounger. “What! You need cheering up?”

“N-No that’s not--I don’t need…” he trailed off as he felt Zsasz’s hands massaging his shoulders, and then sighed before continuing, “okay I  _ did _ need that.”

“That’s what friends are for. When you’re feeling down they give you the Zsasz-ic hands.”

“I told you, I’m not...did you say what I thought you said?”

“What? Zsasz-ic hands?” He put his arms over Oswald’s shoulders to waggle his fingers.

“Yes, that. Don’t call them that.”

“Why? I’ve always called them that, it’s my personal brand of magic massages.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s also the reason we broke up.”

“Wait, what? I thought we broke up because we had no romantic feelings for the other and mutually agreed that we work best as friends with occasional benefits.”

Oswald smirked. “That too, but it was mostly the ‘Zsasz-ic hands’ thing.”

“Ouch.” Then Zsasz hopped out of the chair. “But since we’re talking about problems...sure you don’t have any?”

“I’m sure.”

“Not even with Jim Gordon?”

Oswald pulled down his shades. “Aha! You  **did** talk to Sofia.”

“Oh, no I just assumed because I saw you making out last night and now you’re on opposite ends of the beach.” Zsasz jerked a thumb in Jim’s direction. “But now that you’ve admitted it…”

“Ugh, fine. If you must know, there  _ is _ some awkwardness, but I’d really prefer you don’t get involved.”

Zsasz blinked a few times. “Hm, well now I don’t know if I should go through with my plan.”

Oswald leaned forward. “What was your plan? The two of us trying to make him jealous?”

“What? No, it’s something else.” Zsasz seemed to think for a moment. “Hm, know what? I don’t care, I’m still going to do it.”

“Do wha-”

Suddenly, Oswald was hoisted into Zsasz’s arms and carried towards the crystal blue waves. “Zsasz! Zsasz! Don’t you dare!”

“Oh come on, it’s tradition at this point.” He didn’t seem to mind Oswald beating against his chest. “I just wasn’t sure if you’d be in the mood for a little swim.”

“I’m  **_never_ ** in the mood to be dropped in the ocean!”

“I know. And that’s why I decided to do it anyway, because it didn’t matter.” Zsasz stopped when the water was around his thighs. “So do you want to do this on three or after three?”

“Neither! Put me down!”

“Okay.”

“N-No! No!” Oswald clung to the other man. “On land! Put me down on land.”

Zsasz glanced between Oswald’s face and the water below. “Fine.”

He marched back up to the water’s edge and set Oswald on his feet. “Happy?”

“Not quite.” Oswald muttered as he pulled off a sandal and chucked it at Zsasz. He dodged it and the shoe went flying into the ocean, bobbing further and further from shore. “Fuck!”

Zsasz opened his mouth, but Oswald shoved a finger in his face. “You go get that! You made me throw it.”

Zsasz’s mouth stayed open for a moment longer, but then he closed it with a shrug. “Okay, okay. I don’t see how that’s fair, but you’re sad, I get it.”

“I am not-” Oswald decided to drop it as Zsasz was already heading back into the water.

He crossed his arms and looked down at his one bare foot. Great, now he was going to be walking on sand all day. That stuff gets everywhere and never goes away; and wait a second, did someone draw an ‘X’ in the-

He looked up when he heard Sofia shout. “Oswald! Look-”

Then a volleyball hit him right in the face. It was so much the force, but his own stumbling back that made him fall over. Nothing felt broken as he pressed both hands to his face so that was good. What was even better though, was when he pulled them away to see a concerned Jim kneeling beside him.

“Oswald, are you okay?”

“Uh…” he was at a loss for words, seeing the sun framed so perfectly around Jim’s face.

Sofia came over too. “Oh my goodness, I’m  _ very _ sorry. I had  _ no _ idea you were right there.”

Oswald recognized that phony voice, but before he could call her a proper bitch, Jim asked again.

“Are you alright?”

Oswald looked at him, and managed not to get too lost in those blue eyes. “I-I’m fine, thank you.”

Sofia leaned over, inserting herself into the scene. “Are you  _ sure _ ? That looked like a nasty hit. Maybe you should go inside,  _ away _ from all these people to recover.”

“Oh?” He caught the wink over the rim of her shades. “Oh! N-Now that you mention it, I think that would be safer.”

Then she patted Jim’s shoulder. “Do you think you could be a dear and help him inside? I’d do it myself, but I need to keep an eye on things out here.”

“Um...sure.” He looked at Oswald. “Can you walk?”

Sofia jumped in again. “I don’t know, maybe you should carry him. He looks a little dizzy.”

Oswald raised his barefoot, but definitely not because he wanted to show off his legs. “And I only have one shoe. I’d hate to step on a sharp seashell and cut my foot open.”

Sofia nodded. “That’s right, and I don’t want any damn sand in my house.”

Jim looked at her. “Don’t you think your friend is more important than your carpet?”

“You don’t know how expensive my carpet is.”

Oswald pointed at her. “It is really nice carpeting.”

Jim sighed, but then he gave a small smile. “Alright. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Right.” Oswald smiled back.

Jim shifted so he could get a good grip, and then he lifted Oswald off the ground. Oswald put a hand on his hat, and then he looked over Jim’s shoulder to see Sofia give him a thumbs up.

Just inside the villa, Jim set Oswald down on a sofa and sat beside him. Oswald nodded politely.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I-I was just happy to help, right place, right time.” Then he leaned over to inspect Oswald’s face. “It’s also lucky that I’m required to know first aid, but so far everything seems fine. Does anything hurt?”

_ My heart. _ Oswald resisted the urge to kiss him. “Um, just my nose, but that’s understandable, it’s a pretty big target.”

Jim chuckled and settled back into the couch. “I don’t know if I’d say that, but it’s good that your sense of humor is intact.”

Oswald laughed too, but then things got quiet. After several seconds he managed to look at Jim again. “So...um, enjoying your break so far?”

“Oh, um...y-yeah, yeah it’s been great. I mean,” he gestured to the beach outside the large windows, “what’s not to enjoy?”

“That’s true” Oswald scoffed and it was followed by more silence.

Then Jim pursed his lips. “Yeah, and uh...I...I also...I also really enjoyed, um...last night.”

Oswlad perked up. Jim was looking at his hands, but there was a light pink on his cheeks. Oswald debated saying anything, but in the end he swallowed.

“S-So did I.” Then he should’ve bit his tongue, but he added. “Although, this morning...not so much.”

“Oh...yeah,” Jim scratched the back of his neck, “about that…I’m sorry. I-I know that’s probably a dumb thing to say, but I really am sorry. I...I got nervous.”

Oswald raised an eyebrow. “Nervous?”

“Yeah, lame right?” Jim glanced to the side. “It’s just...I’ve never been in that exact situation before. Wasn’t sure what the...um,  _ Spring Break _ rules are for something like that.”

Oswald didn’t mean to, but he started laughing. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry um… Th-The only ‘Spring Break rule’ is...there are no rules.”

He hesitated once before putting a hand on Jim’s knee. “Remember, it’s all for fun, you can do whatever you want. I mean, I do whatever I want as long as Sofia doesn’t yell at me. Which, now that I think about it, that’s another rule - don’t piss off Sofia.”

Jim chuckled, he was looking at the hand on his knee, but then his eyes trailed up the arm to meet Oswald’s. “So...are we good?”

Oswald thought for a moment, and then he kissed Jim’s cheek. “Does that answer your question?”

Jim tried to blow it off, but he was bright red. “I’d say so. As long as it means what I think it means, which is along the lines of…”

He leaned over to kiss Oswald on the lips. Oswald chuckled when they broke away. “Hm, pretty good translation, but it’s actually more along the lines of…”

This kiss lasted quite a bit longer than the last, with a hint of tongue involved. Jim stayed close as he mumbled. “Ah, I see my grammar was a little off.”

“Maybe...you’d like a quick lesson?” Oswald got a quick peck in. “A refresher course.”

“Mm, that’d be very  _ refreshing _ .” Jim smirked and then kissed Oswald again.

They didn’t part for anything besides breathing, not even when Oswald pulled Jim on top of him. They kissed and nipped and ran their hands all over the other. However, during one of the stops for air, Oswald screamed when he noticed a figure lurking nearby.

“Zsasz! What the fuck are you doing?”

Oswald’s surprise also brought Jim’s attention to the other man in the room and all three of them stared at each other. Zsasz however, seemed the most calm.

“Is this a bad time?”

Oswald was ready to kill his friend as he gritted his teeth. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Uh...about thirty seconds, in this particular spot. But if you’re really asking how long I’ve been watching you make out, then it’d be a little longer. Like, you do know that that whole wall is basically windows right?”

Oswald could see how hard Jim was trying to hide his blushing face, so he tried to change the subject as quickly as possible. “Well, I’m sure you didn’t come in here just to tell us that. Is there something you need?”

“Oh, yeah.” Zsasz pulled a hand from behind his back. “Got your shoe back.”

He tossed it towards the couch and Oswald barely caught it. “Oh, oh uh...uh thank you.”

“Yep.”

After the short reply it was expected that Zsasz would leave. Instead, he stuck around as an awkward silence formed between the three. Jim looked to Oswald again, and that’s when Oswald finally cleared his throat.

“So...anything else?”

Zsasz stared for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Yes. Sofia needs to talk to you at some point. No rush though, so you can keep um…”

He gestured between Oswald and Jim.

Zsasz was a good friend, but Oswald wouldn’t mind stabbing him in the neck if he stuck around for a moment longer. “Yes, well...thank you for the shoe and the message, I’m sure we’ll see you  _ later _ .”

It took a few more seconds, but then Zsasz finally seemed to get the message. He shot some finger guns and continued to shoot as he backed out of the room. Once he was gone, Oswald buried his face in his hands. Next to him, he heard Jim chuckle.

“Well uh...that, that was...I’m sorry, who was he again?”

Oswald started laughing too. “Victor Zsasz, but please don’t pay him  _ any _ attention. He just feeds off of it and he’s already enough trouble.”

“Oh yeah, I uh, I saw the…” He imitated the carrying.

“That? Ugh that asshole has gotten me the past two years, but I refuse to let it happen this time. See, he messed up because now I’m on high alert.”

Jim smiled and put an arm around Oswald. “And you’ve got some protection.”

“Aw, I always appreciate when someone wants to beat up an ex for me.”

“Wait…” Jim’s smile faded for a moment.

Was that...a flash of jealousy? It was really a slip of the tongue on Oswald’s part, but he allowed himself to feel a little flattered that Jim could care enough to be jealous. However, he knew now was neither the time nor the place. So instead, he gave Jim’s cheek a kiss.

“Kidding. Please don’t go beating my friends up, that’s my job.” Then he sighed. “I should go see Sofia though.”

“I thought Victor said ‘no rush’?”

“No such thing as ‘no rush’ when it comes to Sofia.” Oswald stood up. “Thanks again for the medical attention.”

Jim scoffed and followed him towards the glass doors. “Yeah, you’re welcome, I sure did a whole lot.”

“You did! You were a perfect nurse,” Oswald stopped right before they got outside, “and I hope I can see more of your bedside manner later tonight.”

Jim raised his eyebrows. “Oh…”

“Oh.” Oswald gave him another kiss before walking back onto the beach.

It didn’t take long to find Sofia because she more or less found him first. “So…”

They started walking along the shore. Oswald glanced at her. “So...you hit me with a volleyball.”

She laughed. “I’m sorry dear, but it all worked out didn’t it? It seemed like you two made up.”

“Oh no, don’t tell me you were peeping too.”

“Well…” Sophia smirked, “you’re lucky Zsasz didn’t call the whole beach over.”

“That perv.” Oswald chuckled. “How’d you get him to help anyway?”

“We made an arrangement.”

Oswald stopped. “What kind of  _ arrangement _ ?”

“Oh, nothing too bad.” She waved a hand in the air. “He asked that the body shot tournament be moved to tonight so he had more days to brag about winning. Can you believe how cocky he is?”

“Huh...he doesn’t usually work for so little. He usually prefers something with a guarantee.”

Sofia shrugged. “Well...there might’ve been a twenty dollar bill involved too...”

Before Oswald could ask ‘anything else?’, his feet were swept off the sand. A few screams later and he was dropped in the ocean. He floundered around before being able to stand up. Sopping wet, he looked up at a laughing Zsasz.

Catching the glare he got from Oswald, the laughter quickly stopped. “Oh come on, you should’ve seen this coming.”

“You see  _ this _ coming?” Oswald squawked as he tackled Zsasz.

A string of profanity followed anytime they surfaced in their tussle, the majority coming from Oswald. On land, Sofia Falcone just stood there and smiled.

* * *

Despite all earlier protests, Oswald spent a lot of time in the water. He and Zsasz eventually teamed up to drag Sofia in, and soon everyone on the beach was jumping in. A break for dinner gave everyone a chance to shower and dry off before the real fun that night.

Sofia brought everyone back out onto the deck where there were several tables set up with salt, limes, and bottles upon bottles of tequila. She stood in the middle and addressed the small crowd.

“Alright people, listen up. For anyone who’d like to participate in this year’s body shot tournament, here are the rules. Teams of two will take turns taking shots off the other. That means one person lays on the table while the other one both sets up and takes the shot, and then they switch places. Since we have a limited number of limes, this cycle continues until one team gets through all of their limes, or all other teams are disqualified. Disqualifications include dropping a lime wedge, breaking the glass, or throwing up.”

During the explanation, Oswald would occasionally make eye contact with Jim across the crowd and they would smile at each other. Oswald couldn't wait to lick salt off that chest and suck limes from those lips. He glimpsed over again, but this time Jim wasn’t looking back, he was talking to that Brunch Blonde again! That tramp...both of them! What the hell was all that flirting and shit only hours ago?

Oswald never pictured Jim as the ‘player’ type, but he’d been burned once today, and he didn’t want to risk it again. He refused to look at Jim until Sofia stopped talking. Only then did he glance over, but again there was no eye contact made because Jim was already being led away to a table. Oswald almost had half a mind to stomp over and slap that two-timer, but he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Zsasz was standing behind him. “Are we going for two years in a row, or is the dream team switching things up?”

Oswald paused for a second before smiling. “Well we can’t let Sofia win can we?”

“She’s going down. In fact,  _ everyone’s _ going down because we’ve got the two lowest tolerances here.” Zsasz held up his hand for a high five, but was left hanging.

“What? No that’s-that’s not a good thing in this situation.”

“Oh...wait…” he snapped, “aha! I was thinking low  _ inhibitions _ . Right, right it’s high tolerance, low inhibition. That’s the winning combination.”

Oswald let another high five go unfulfilled. “Speak for yourself. Some of us have enough sense not to jump off roofs.”

“It’s called parkour. I have a trophy.”

Oswald rolled his eyes, but there was a smile with it. “Yeah, yeah. Why don’t we just pick a table?”

He couldn’t deny he was disappointed, and slightly offended, that Jim wasn’t his partner, but at least he knew he had a sporting chance with Zsasz. Besides, if there was one thing Oswald Cobblepot loved more than boys - it was winning.

Sofia had some hunk on her team, and once the beach was divided into competitors and spectators she repeated some of the rules again, as well as detailing the proper way to take a shot. Referees were picked, and the game began once The Champs’ famous song started blasting through the speakers. Honestly, the music was probably the biggest obstacle to Oswald because of how distracting it could be. However, it was easily overcome as he and Zsasz raced through shot after shot.

Only once did Oswald briefly glance in Jim’s direction. It seemed like the poor guy was either disqualified or dropped out by the way he sat on the edge of the table. He was actually looking back, but Oswald couldn’t waste any more time, Sofia could be gaining on him.

If he’d counted the number of lime wedges beforehand he’d have an estimate of how many shots he took. If he had to make a rough guess it would be about 7-9. It was true that both he and Zsasz could hold their liquor, but all of that tequila was starting to hit. Oswald had a little trouble climbing onto the table, but any concerns were thrown out the window as the referee next to them announced they were on their last wedge. The same announcement was made near Sofia’s table too.

In the end it was Zsasz who reached that last lime first, covering Oswald’s mouth with his own. It was a kiss of victory that only lasted a second before Zsasz straightened up and spat out the fruit as he threw up his hands. Oswald was just giggling on the table, but then Zsasz pulled him into a sitting position so they were both cheering and waving their arms like the drunk idiots they were. Once more a high-five was attempted, and they both missed by a long shot, but that didn’t dampen their spirits one bit.

Sofia came around, only stumbling once as she presented them with a dinky trophy. Oswald held it up, and Zsasz held him up. With the added height Oswald looked around for Jim again, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. Then Zsasz set him down and as people started to crowd the table with congratulations his entire view was blocked. As the party progressed, Oswald quickly forgot about locating Jim. In fact, he quickly forgot about a lot of things as the rest of the night faded into a blur.


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some talking, walking, and most importantly...clubbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Basically, everyone's drunk by the end of this chapter, and I was sometimes drunk while writing it so...make of that what you will.)

Oswald woke up with a pounding headache and a very dry tongue that left a weird taste in his mouth. His limbs felt too heavy to move, but he tried giving them a stretch anyway. He hit his foot on something and there was noise like a groan. With a lot of unnecessary shifting around he managed to half prop himself and take a look.

Zsasz was laying across the bottom of the bed. It took a few more kicks and then his head shot up to look at Oswald.

“What are you doing in my room?”

“This is  **my** room.”

“Why would you be on the foot of the bed if this was your room?”

“I always sleep like this, it’s cooler down here.”

They stared at each other for a second before looking around to see exactly where they were. After a thorough scan they looked at each other again and Oswald pursed his lips.

“Yeah...this isn’t my room.” He glanced down. “Wait...why am I not wearing my tank top?”

Zsasz blinked a few times. “Huh...I think you gave it to Sofia after her bikini strap broke.”

“Oh.” He paused for a long time. “So uh, last night...did we...did we um…”

“Yep.” Zsasz didn’t seem bothered by Oswald’s wide eyes. “We both blacked the fuck out.”

Oswald threw a pillow at him. “You ass.”

“What? Isn’t that what you were asking? You know, you should be thanking me, I basically had to carry you up here.”

“And you took me here instead of my room?”

Zsasz opened his mouth, but then closed it and shrugged. With a groan, Oswald forced himself to stand. “Ugh, now I have to walk even further to take a shower.”

“There’s a bathroom on this side.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ve got to get my clothes anyway.” He got to the door. “But hey, thanks for not leaving me outside to rot.”

Zsasz nodded sincerely. “What are friends for?”

Oswald gave a laugh before shuffling into the hallway. His room was on the opposite end of the hall, and while it wasn’t actually that far, it felt like a marathon. Occasionally leaning on the wall, Oswald got to his door and lazily reached for the handle. Suddenly, the bathroom door across from him opened, and he turned around to be face to face with Jim.

Being tired and hungover, Oswald’s reaction time was slower than normal, but his jaw was still pretty quick to fall open upon seeing Jim in nothing but a towel. Blonde hair slicked back and still damp, skin glowing and shiny.

He seemed equally surprised to see Oswald. “Uh...good morning.”

It took Oswald a few seconds. “What?”

“I-I said good morning.” Jim repeated with a smile.

“Oh. Oh, yeah, good morning.” Oswald rubbed his eyes.

Then they both stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then Oswald realized it was because he was in the way. “I-I um...s-sorry.”

“No, no it’s-it’s…” After some shuffling back and forth, they switched places. Instead of going straight to his room though, Jim turned around. “Oh, and I um...I went to bed early so I didn’t say it last night, but...congratulations on the win.”

“Hm? Y-Yeah, thanks.”

“You and um... **Victor** made a good team.”

There was that hint of jealousy again, but this time it just made Oswald mad. Apparently Jim just gets to choose when he does or doesn’t care. Oswald crossed his arms.

“Thanks. I think we work so well together because of what  _ great _ friends we are. It seemed like you and...whats-her-face were close too.”

Jim raised an eyebrow. “Barbara? I don’t know, I wouldn’t say  _ close _ , but we were in the same orientation group years ago. She’s pretty nice though.”

That only pissed off Oswald even more, and there was a sick feeling in his stomach. He tried to keep his irritation somewhat contained.

“Pretty nice huh? Well that’s good, that’s all you need in a partner.”

Jim bristled a bit. “Well, she wasn’t my first choice, but I couldn’t seem to catch your eye.”

“What?” Oswald said that a little louder than necessary. “No,  _ I _ was trying to get  _ your _ attention, but you were too busy looking at... **Barb** .”

“When?” Jim tilted his head. “Because I distinctly remember her coming up to me, asking if I’d be her partner, and then I looked right at you, but you never looked back.”

Oswald tried to think back to that moment. He remembered seeing the girl talking to Jim, and he remembered being upset and then- That’s right, he’d looked away. “O-Oh…”

“I mean, I  _ thought _ we were going to be partners based on...well the past few days; but I couldn’t get you to look at me for confirmation.” He shrugged a little. “So I...I told her ‘sure’ because, in case I misread  _ our _ situation, I didn’t want to be rude.”

“Oh…” Oswald was starting to feel his cheeks get warm as he stared at the floor.

The awkward silence returned, but then Jim scoffed. “Although, maybe it worked out for the best because you definitely wouldn’t have won if I was your teammate. I uh...I dropped the bowl of limes.”

“You what? How many shots did you get through?”

“Not that many actually,” he scratched his neck, “but I saw Barb getting a little out of it, and I wasn’t feeling great either, so I...I  _ accidentally _ dropped the rest of the limes. I didn’t think it was a good idea to drink all nine shots.”

“It  _ was _ nine?” Oswald shook his head. “Good god, I think Sofia really is trying to kill me.”

They both sort of laughed, but then the hall was quiet again. Oswald still had an uneasy feeling in his gut.

“Anyway, I-I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little to blame too...I thought you weren’t looking at me, so I never looked back.”

“Ah.” But then Jim smiled. “I guess that means instead of trying to look across a crowd...we should just stand next to each other.”

Oswald smiled back. “You know, I think that’s a good plan. We um...we could even put it into motion on today’s excursion. We always go into the city on the third day, change of scenery.”

“A change from  _ this _ ?” Jim gestured around the beachside villa they were in and chuckled. “Although, I guess if I’m standing next to you, the scenery doesn’t really matter.”

Oswald was certain his blush was noticeable. Goddammit, he shouldn’t be so obvious, or let Jim off the hook that easily. He also shouldn’t still have that nervous feeling in his stomach. His smile slowly dimmed. Wait, that wasn’t nerves.

It was a good thing Jim left the bathroom door open because Oswald barely made it to the toilet before puking his guts out. He really should’ve expected this. He always gets sick after the body shot tournament. There’s a good reason that much tequila shouldn’t be ingested that fast.

What he didn’t expect was, upon lifting his head, seeing Jim hand him a damp washcloth. “A-Are you okay?”

How embarrassing, how utterly humiliating, and now Jim was probably pitying him. Oswald quickly took the washcloth and wiped his mouth. “I’m fine, I’m fine, don’t wor-”

He turned back to the toilet, and once again had to wipe his face. Jim had taken a step towards the door. Of course, he was probably disgusted. However, he only took the one step, and filled a paper cup at the sink.

“Here, would water help?”

Part of Oswald wanted to splash the cup back in his face. The only person he liked babying him was his mother, but that’s just what mother’s do. Anyone else and he hated it. He got himself into this situation, by making his own choices, and he didn’t need any help or sympathy. Still, another part of him thought it was sweet of Jim to be this caring. So, albeit with a little reluctance, he accepted the cup and downed it in one gulp.

Then he stood up. Jim offered a hand, but Oswald waved it away. “T-Thanks, I’m fine. This usually happens at least once during this trip.”

“At  _ least _ ?”

“Okay, that didn’t sound the best, but I mean...this trip is basically a non-stop party. You’re more likely to see me hungover than sober.” Oswald tried to pass it off as a joke, but Jim still looked concerned. “Kidding! Really though, it’s rare for someone to win a contest involving tequila and  _ not _ have some minor repercussions in the morning.”

That seemed to soften Jim up. “You’ve got a point there.”

“See? I’m fine, nothing I can’t handle myself.” He paused. “Although, that was still nice of you to stick around despite the...not so nice scene.”

This time Jim actually chuckled. “Trust me, both in life and as an RA, I’ve seen a lot worse. At least none of it ended up on me, unlike the football party I broke up last semester.”

“That’s true. It’d be a shame if you had to shower again.”

“Yeah, that’s…” Jim started to blush as if he just realized he was still in his towel. “Speaking of, I-I should...I should get dressed.”

“Unfortunately yes.” Oswald still felt a little embarrassed, but he gave a small smile. “Most places in the city require shoes and a shirt.”

Jim shyly smiled back and then quickly went to his room. Oswald stood there for a second, but then he felt the nausea return. God he hoped Sofia was suffering as much as he was.

Apparently she was. Just as Oswald was finally leaving the bathroom, she came pushing past him. He held her hair while half-heartedly lamenting their creation of the contest in the first place. Then, as she washed her face and got her own cup of water, Oswald filled her in on his conversation with Jim.

Sofia still seemed skeptical about this  _ Barbara _ , as was Oswald, but they decided to give Jim the benefit of the doubt. Besides, Sofia was much more interested in talking about their city trip. She mostly poked fun at Jim and Oswald’s idea to stay close to one another, refusing to call it anything other than a date. Oswald dismissed any notion of such a thing and tried to redirect her attention towards all the shops they were going to visit. Eventually one of the suggestions stuck and she went on and on about whether or not she wanted a pair of flats.

* * *

A limo drove most of the guests into Miami, and Oswald made sure to sit next to Jim. It was a tight fit, but neither one seemed to mind. Once they were out on the streets, popping in and out stores, they stayed pretty true to their promise. Of course there were times when Sofia would claim Oswald’s attention: for advice, opinions, or to tease him about his  _ date _ .

Oswald didn’t like to put labels on things, or assume anything, so he was hesitant to agree with her. But no matter what he told her, or himself, he would still get a bout of butterflies whenever Jim was near. When he would lean over Oswald’s shoulder to look at something and Oswald caught a whiff of cologne, when the group would take a picture and Jim would put an arm around Oswald, or when Jim’s hand would brush against his while they were walking.

It was...nice, and even though Oswald didn’t have much hope for after Break, he let himself enjoy each present moment. On the subject of the present, they were currently on their way to some club to round out their day in town. The car had come to collect all their shopping bags and bring everything back to the villa so the partiers didn’t have anything weighing them down. Sofia, Oswald, and a few others had a bit of trouble though when they decided to take out some of their purchases to change clothes, but it was only a minor delay. Soon enough they were back to strolling along the sidewalk to their destination.

It wasn’t a particularly cold night, but Oswald’s sheer shirt with embroidered flowers was meant for the dancefloor, not the outdoors. He tried to sidle up next to Jim for warmth, but Jim just gave him more space instead, apologizing for bumping into him. Oswald wanted to smack the back of his head, if he ever needed an overly concerned and caring man, now would’ve been the time.

He didn’t get the chance to nudge Jim again because Sofia suddenly stuck out her arm in front of them. “I need a picture there!”

She pointed to a giant white building across the street, with a huge white ball out front, all lit up. “Oswald, I-

He already knew what she was going to ask. “Yeah, yeah I’ll be your photographer.”

“Oh thank you so much.” Then she called out to the rest of the group. “This’ll only take a moment, but please, continue to the club and we’ll catch up. Use the name Carmine Falcone at the door and they’ll let you right in.”

As much as Oswald loved helping Sofia, he was reluctant to leave Jim’s side. In case there were any hard feelings, he gave Jim a quick peck on the cheek before crossing the street. Sofia power walked in her platforms until she was a few feet away from the giant ball.

“Okay, now try and get the sign in here too.”

Oswald took a couple steps back until ‘Frost Museum of Science’ was visible along the edge before snapping a few pictures. “Beautiful, gorgeous! Work for the camera, that’s it! Look at that sexy science girl!”

Sofia struck several different poses before she started laughing. “Shut up, this has to look semi-serious!”

“Oh? Are these going to be headshots later? Go in a portfolio?”

“No...my professor’s giving out extra credit to anyone who went to a museum over break.”

“And you think they’ll believe this museum was open at night?”

“I’ll just bribe someone in graphic design or film or whatever to make it look like it’s daytime. It’ll be fine, let me see.” She scrolled through the phone. “Oh wow, you should switch your major to photography.”

“It helps having such a great model.”

They gave each other cheesy smiles, but in the momentary quiet, Oswald heard a distant shout behind him.

“Oswald?”

He kept his eyes on Sofia, but his face dropped. “You didn’t suddenly learn ventriloquy did you?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.”

The shout was closer. “Oswald Cobblepot!”

Sofia glanced behind him for a second and then looked back at Oswald. “Okay, so you know I love you...but you’ve got to forgive me.”

“Forgive you for- W-Why? Sofia, who-”

“See you soon, don’t get murdered!” Sofia turned and dashed into the crosswalk.

Before he could yell ‘bitch’ across the street, the voice was upon him. “Oswald!”

Oh. Now he recognized it. He popped on a smile before pivoting to face one Edward Nygma. “Ed! Hey...w-what, what are...wow, right?”

“I know, it’s crazy! I mean, what are the odds?”

“Y-Yeah, it’s crazy alright.”

“Uh huh.” Ed kept smiling and nodding, and then rolled his hands. “So...what are the odds? Come on, you should know this from stats.”

Oswald bit his tongue before any smart-ass retort could come out. He chuckled and shook a finger. “You know what...I uh...I try not to think about school during a break.”

“What? You should try to keep your brain sharp all the time. How else are you going to pass the final?”

Again, Oswald had to restrain himself from scoffing. “Oh...good old fashioned studying. Uh, anyway...wh-why are you here?”

“It’s part of the Goldweather program, I told you about in class, remember?”

No he did not. “O-Of course I do! I... _ meant _ why are you here... _ so late _ ?”

“Oh! Well we just finished today’s lesson.” Ed looked over his shoulder to a group of other young nerds walking away from the building. “The lady who lectured us today wasn’t available until after hours; but, do you know how fascinating it is to be in a museum  _ after hours _ ? It almost feels illegal.”

The twinkle in Ed’s eye actually made Oswald smile. “Thrilling, I’m sure. Glad you had fun.”

“Oh it was amazing! We got to go in the basement and see all the…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t the right time, is it? You probably have to go after your friend.”

“Yeah, I should get going.” Oswald was also thinking about reuniting with Jim. “And you should probably…”

Oswald started to point after the group of nerds, but they were already out of sight. He also caught Ed’s downward glance, and Oswald lowered his hand. He should just say something generic and walk away, but he also remembered his lonely life before becoming friends with Sofia.

He sighed. “You should probably come with me.”

Ed perked up. “Really? I-I mean, I don’t want to intrude on your vacation.”

“No, no” Oswald waved a hand, “it’s fine, really. There’s a big group of us, one more won’t be a problem.”

Oswald started to walk back towards the street. “Come on, the club’s still about a seven minute walk.”

Ed immediately fell in line. “We’re going to a club?”

“Uh huh, hope you don’t mind.” Inwardly, Oswald hoped he did, maybe then he’d leave of his own accord.

But no, he kept walking in the same direction. “I don’t know, I’ve never been.”

“Oh, well then you’re in for a...real treat.” Oswald smiled and crossed his arms.

They waited at a stoplight, and then Ed took off his hoodie. “Do you want this? You look cold.”

Oswald was once again stuck between being flattered that someone cared, or being spiteful that someone thought he needed help. This time he chose spite, but he had enough composure to do it in a polite way.

“No thank you, I uh...it’s not that bad.”

Ed looked over the slightly shivering Oswald, but he didn’t ask again as he slipped his hoodie back on. However, he  _ did _ ask other questions, boring trivia questions, all the way to their destination. The bouncer gave them an odd look, but at the mention of the ‘Falcone’ name, he quickly let them cut the line.

The club was huge, bright and loud, but clearly the place to be. It was packed, so it took Oswald some time to find Sofia. Thankfully, Ed’s ability to see over most other people came in handy while locating the ‘dark-haired woman in the red cut-out dress’.

Sofia threw her arms around Oswald, and then gave Ed a small hug, only seeming a little surprised to see him. She introduced him to some of their other friends, and then politely excused herself and Oswald.

She took him to the bar and ordered some drinks. Meanwhile, Oswald drummed his fingers on the counter. “So…”

“So…?” She looked as innocent as possible.

“Uh...what the hell?” Oswald took the glass, but he was really hoping to get an apology too.

Sofia tutted. “Well excuse me, I should ask you the same question. I thought you didn’t care for your study buddy.”

“I-I don’t! I…” he downed his drink in a gulp, “you abandoned me! What else was I supposed to do?”

“Well if you weren’t interested, you could’ve  _ not _ invited him.” She shrugged.

“Oh come on, you know I couldn’t leave him all alone.”

She smirked and twirled her straw. “Mmhm, sure.”

Oswald signalled for his glass to be filled. “I thought you were supposed to be a lady, so what’s your mind doing in the gutter? I didn’t mean it like that.”

Sofia chuckled. “And why not? He’s kinda cute.”

“Uh, let me think, maybe because I just went on a date with Jim today?”

“Wait, so it  _ was _ a date?” She raised her eyebrows as she took a sip.

“N-No, I…” Oswald took a swig from his glass and shook his head. “I know you’re trying to trick me into saying something, but I’m not falling for it.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that fate has blessed you with two handsome men tonight.”

“Uh huh, but I only want one.”

Sofia raised her hands defensively. “Which, I fully support. But...I also know that Jim’s been a little wishy-washy this whole trip, and I don’t want you to waste all your time and energy on something you can’t even call a  _ date _ .”

“Well that’s because I don’t know what he- Okay, I can see what you mean about ‘wishy-washy’.” He relaxed and then scoffed. “Although, how do I know this is you caring about my love life and not you trying to persuade me into becoming Gotham’s biggest slut?”

“Because…” Sofia clinked her glass against his, “I don’t need the competition.”

They both laughed and downed their drinks. Sofia ordered refills and then clamped a hand on Oswald’s shoulder. “So...last I saw Jim, he was heading upstairs to the roof.”

“How many levels does this place have?”

“At least three.” She handed him his glass. “Now, don’t trip on your way up.”

“Thanks, you really are the best.”

“I know, I know. Now scram! I’ve got my own people to chase.” She smiled and lightly nudged him along.

However, before going right to Jim, he took a detour to check in with Ed. Oswald figured it was just the right thing to do. Although, it was a bit more than that because he  _ did _ consider Ed a friend, and just as he couldn’t leave the poor boy alone on the empty sidewalk, Oswald couldn’t leave him in a sea of people either. It was a quick conversation, which was surprising; but after Oswald found Ed some mutual acquaintances and got him a drink, Oswald excused himself to find Jim.

Just as Sofia said, Jim was on the upper level - a rooftop bar. It was almost as crowded as downstairs, but the lack of walls helped with any cramped feelings. Except Oswald’s heart felt a little cramped when he saw Jim dancing with that... _ Barb _ . Barb from orientation. Barb who was... _ pretty nice _ .

The earlier drinks were catching up with him and Oswald’s blood was starting to boil, but he was still sensible enough to stop himself from doing anything irrational. Instead, he took a second to think, and concluded it was plausible that the scenario could just be between two friends, they weren’t even dancing that close. So, unclenching his fists, he strode over and tapped Jim on the shoulder.

“Hey stranger.” Oswald switched to the other side and loved the double take Jim did before smiling.

“Oswald, hey!” Jim threw his arm around Oswald as a type of hug, but it was really an excuse to whisper in his ear. “I missed you.”

They’d been lightly flirting back and forth since they arrived in the city, but that one whisper made Oswald’s heart beat faster than it had this whole day. Maybe it was the delivery, or the gleam in Jim’s eyes that left Oswald stifling a giggle like some highschooler. If he could, he’d pull Jim into the coat room right now, if he could even make it that far.

However, Jim turned away to gesture at Barb. “Now, I don’t believe you’ve formally met. Barb, this is Oswald, Oswald this is Barbara Kean, aka Barbara  _ Queen _ of orientation group number three. She’s an old  **friend** .”

Oswald shot Jim a look, catching that cheeky smile, and wanting to slap him as much as kiss him. Then he quickly reached a hand to Barb. “Yes, it’s good to finally say hello Ms. Kean.”

“Likewise.” Her smile said that was a lie, as it appeared she was more concerned with Jim’s arm around Oswald instead of Oswald himself.

There was a beat of awkwardness before Jim nodded to Barb. “Thank you for the dance, the drink, and the conversation; but I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me for...several moments.”

Her jaw was still clenched, even as she spoke politely. “Of course! I hope I’ll see you around Jim! And you, Oswald.”

Oswald waggled his fingers in parting as he and Jim moved away. Oswald snatched a shot from a passing waitress as they made their way to the opposite side of the roof. They had to cross the dancefloor, but Oswald made them stop for a few twirls and sways. Soon they were at the edge of the railing, and Jim once again had an arm around Oswald while Oswald leaned on Jim’s shoulder.

The building wasn’t particularly tall, but the twinkling lights of the city were still a sight to see, as was the distant ocean. Jim turned his head. “I wish tonight would end.”

Oswald pulled away and scrunched up his face. “Um...ouch.”

Jim quickly shook his hand and laughed. “No, no I didn’t… I-I meant it in a good way, I promise. I meant I wanted it to end now because…” he gazed at Oswald, “I don’t think it could get better.”

Oswald was lucky he didn’t swoon or else he might’ve fallen off the ledge. Instead, he leaned back in with a suggestive smile and a finger on Jim’s chest. “Well...I can think of at least one improvement.”

Taking the hint, Jim brushed his lips against Oswald’s as he started with a delicate kiss. It escalated to something a little more passionate, but nothing too obscene for the public.

“Besides,” Oswald nipped at Jims bottom lip, “the night’s only begun. I’m going to show you how to  _ really _ party.”

Jim rubbed Oswald’s arms. “Isn’t it enough to stay right here?”

“Tempting, but I came here for some clubbing fun and I’m going to get my cover charge’s worth.” Oswald chuckled and kissed him. “But perhaps we can have our own private party later tonight.”

Jim sighed. “Perhaps.” He pecked Oswald’s forehead

“So,” Oswald offered his elbow, “shall we? Sofia will kill me if she doesn’t get a dance.”

“To me, that sounds like a better reason to stay up here, but I suppose it’s not worth risking your life.” Jim smiled and took the arm as they headed back downstairs.

* * *

Time didn’t feel real after that point. Jim tried shouting out what his watch said every now and then, but Oswald told him it was better to just drop that idea and focus on spending time instead of tracking it. Oswald was spending most of his on Jim: flirting, sneaking kisses, and sometimes grinding on the dancefloor. He also did a lot of dancing with Sofia...and a lot of drinking. Every time he saw her she had two new cocktails in her hands, and they’d down them quickly so they could get back to voguing beside each other or discoing with Zsasz. Jim occasionally joined in, but he was unfortunately not the lightest on his feet.

Amidst the drinking and dancing, Oswald made some time to visit Ed on the outskirts. Each time, he was able to convince Ed to take a step closer to the group until he was welcomed into the circle. Of course, by the time that finally happened, Sofia was in the mindset that jumping up on a table was a good idea.

Graceful, refined, and well-mannered Sofia was no more. Instead, she was shaking the perfect curls out of her hair and occasionally tottering in her heels on the wobbly table. Still, she looked like she was having the time of her life which was probably the most important thing right now. She applied this same logic when tugging Oswald away from Jim so he could join her.

The table was even more unstable with two people on it, but thankfully the metal legs didn’t break. Oswald and Sofia clearly weren’t worried as they just giggled and clung to each other for several seconds. Then they started dancing and putting on a show for the other patrons by blowing kisses or making suggestive moves. They hyped each other up too, like when Oswald undid a button of his shirt, or when Sofia swayed her hips nice and slow.

On one occasion, Sofia shimmied a little too much and suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction. Oswald immediately tried to cover her top by standing right in front of her. Neither of them could stop laughing though.

Sofia was pulling at the low neckline of her dress. “Oh come on, get over there. Oswald dear, help me with this.”

“I’m already shielding you from unwanted eyes, what more do you want me to do? I’m not touching your boob.”

“Why not? It’s so soft and squishy.” She seemed to forget her situation.

Oswald snorted. “Because the law states I’ll lose my gay card if I do. And I need it tonight, so squish your beautiful boob back in that dress before it gets on the internet and your dad finds out.”

The mention of Father Falcone sobered her up enough that she shoved and shifted until she was covered again. “There we go, secure and sexy.”

Oswald was able to take a step back, and the rest of the club cheered for their success. They took a bow, but the bending forward, paired with the tipsy table and tipsy participants, was a bad idea. Sofia wobbled, but she regained her balance. Unfortunately, she only got to a standing position by pushing off of Oswald and essentially shoving him off the table.

He was luckily saved from hitting the floor because his fall was broken by landing on someone in the crowd. He lifted his head and started laughing at Edward’s skewed glasses.

“Oh my god, I am...oh boy, I’m sorry. Thanks for being an amazing catch though. I promise I had no-” He might’ve kept talking, but an outstretched hand entered his field of vision.

He looked up and saw it belonged to Jim. “Oh hey!”

He took the hand and was pulled to his feet. Maybe a little too harshly because Oswald tumbled into Jim next. The silver lining was how close it brought their lips, and Oswald wasn’t one to waste a good opportunity. He stole a nice long kiss before Jim lightly pushed him away.

“Glad to have you back on solid ground.”

“Good to be... _ glad _ to be here too.” Oswald chuckled at his mistake, and then tapped Jim on the chest. “Especially if it’s with you.”

Jim only accepted a peck this time before putting an arm around Oswald’s back. “On that we can agree, and I also hope you’ll agree to...sit down with me?”

“Oh, of-of course!” Oswald pointed over his shoulder. “I think there were some stools at the bar open, we could-”

Jim grabbed Oswald’s outstreched hand and held it. “Actually...I was thinking about one of the booths on the side.”

Oswald blinked several times, looking between Jim’s beautiful eyes and the way their hands were clasped together. Jim couldn’t be suggesting… Finding alone time would be nearly impossible with all these people, but still...being whisked away to a more secluded area wasn’t a bad thing. Oswald got in another kiss, and then smiled.

“Sounds even better.”

Jim smiled back, and held Oswald close as they walked away from the busy center of the room. Oswald sat down first, but grabbed Jim by the shirt before he could move. It was still a fairly public spot, but Oswald didn’t care if any onlookers saw him kissing the most handsome man in the world. He started leaning back, pulling Jim with him as he pressed his tongue past Jim’s lips. Meanwhile, Jim’s hands were travelling up Oswald’s side to rest on his shoulders...before pushing away from him. Unbothered, Oswald licked his lips and went for another kiss, but Jim wouldn’t budge.

Instead, he started talking. “Hey…”

“Hey...” Oswald continued smiling like some love drunk fool.

“Um...do you mind if I grab a couple of drinks?”

Oswald scoffed. “That’s a dumb question, not at all!”

Jim chuckled a little too, but as he started to stand up, Oswald snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait! You should get the pink cocktails, I can’t remember what they’re called, but they’re  _ really _ good.”

After a pause, Jim nodded. “Uh...yeah, yeah I’m sure they are, but you know what else is good? Water. Water is always a good option. Which is why I’m going to go grab two glasses, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

“Perfect! So, you can stay right here while I’m gone, right in this spot.” He held up both hands like he was directing traffic. Then he started backing away slowly. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

Oswald couldn’t help but laugh at the awkward display. “Okay! And I’ll be here, waiting eagerly.”

With another smile, Jim disappeared, leaving Oswald alone in the booth. He waited eagerly for about five seconds before realization finally hit. Jim didn’t pull him aside for some romantic alone time, he was taking Oswald out of the party to sober up! Oswald might not have been so offended if Jim had said so from the start, but no! Jim had spoken to him like a child, and directed him to stay seated like a helpless puppy. Well, Oswald was no puppy or baby, he was a grown man who could decide for himself when to stop drinking.

Oswald stood up and left in a huff. It didn’t take long to find Sofia again, and she profusely apologized for shoving him.

“...It was a total accident, I swear!”

“Sofia-”

“It’ll never, ever happen again!”

“Sofia, I kn-”

“You are my best friend, and I cannot apologize enough for-”

He grabbed her shoulders, “Sofia! It’s fine, I’m not here to blame you, I’m here to complain.”

Sofia pointed at herself. “About me pushing you?”

“What did I just say? No, not you, Jim.”

“Jim?! But you love Jim!”

Oswald shook her. “Shhh, shh no I don’t!”

“But, but I though-”

“No, and in fact I don’t even like him anymore. You’ll never guess what he just did.” Oswald didn’t wait for her before plowing on. “He took me aside to sober me up!”

“What? You’re not even... _ that _ drunk! You’re drunk less than- less drunk than me! How dare he say that?”

“You see, that’s the worst part...he didn’t say shit! He treated me like some child, some drunk child who needed to be sat down.”

“Oh my god, how rude! You don’t need that, you’re a drunk child who can make their own decisions!”

“Yes, thank you! I know my limits, and if I pass those limits then that’s my right to do so.”

“You don’t need a man telling you how to party, it’s  _ your _ break. So screw ‘em.”

“You’re right, you’re so right. He did this to Barb last night too, but he won’t do it to me. I’m going to have my own fun tonight.”

“Hell yeah! You can have a ton of fun without Jim!” Sofia raised a fist, but then she let her hand fall on his shoulder. “But uh...but not with me either. I...I got…” she pointed to another group of people, “I got that girl in hot pink over there.”

Oswald looked at the girl and she smiled back at them. “Oh yeah, she’s cute.”

“I know right? And I- I’m really...I’m so sorry about leaving you, but hey, just know that I’m here for you. If I didn’t have that beauty waiting for me, I’d totally stay and help you find someone that isn’t Jim.”

“Th-Thanks, I-”

“Honestly, I’d do it myself if I had to. I mean it. I’m not even attracted to you, but I would totally peg you to help you get over Jim because...because that’s what friends are for.”

“That’s the weirdest fucking thing you’ve said to me, but I still love you.”

Sofia hugged him. “I love you too bitch. Now get out there, I’m sure there’s a thousand other men here who would love to get you a drink instead of take it away from you. And...and I bet a lot of them have great dicks too.”

“You’re a national treasure Sofia Falcone, and I hope your girl also has a great...you know what, I’m not going to finish that.”

They both laughed and Sofia lightly pushed him. “Smart choice, now go make some bad ones. Oh! And grab one of those pink drinks for the road.”

Oswald didn’t take her last piece of advice, but he took the rest and set off around the club.

* * *

He flitted around between partner and partner, a dance here, a drink there. He half hoped that he would run into Jim, just to rub it in his stuck up face. Although, he also half hoped that one of these men would  _ be _ Jim so that they could be the ones having fun together. He tried to clear both thoughts from his mind, and focus on grinding with his current partner.

For the second time tonight he crashed into Edward, but at least this time it was more of a stumble. Oswald felt bad he’d forgotten about his guest until now, but if Ed felt slighted in any way, he didn’t show it. He was a surprisingly good dancer too, although Oswald was admittedly doing most of the work. Still, he enjoyed the hands holding onto his hips, and at one point the pressure against his lips.

Oswald hadn’t planned on tilting his head back to kiss Ed, but he didn’t regret it. He also didn’t regret it when he did it again, and again and again. Nor when he was shoving Ed into a bathroom stall and dropping to his knees. It wasn’t as comfortable as the study rooms, and it lacked the privacy of the back of the library too; but Oswald didn’t care much. In fact, the idea that anyone could walk in and hear moaning was a bit of a turn on, and he stroked himself faster while sucking Ed harder.

It wasn’t his best blowjob, but he was going for speed instead of style this time. A quick release was all he needed, and that’s what he got. A light bite followed by the roll of the tongue, and he had Ed coming in his mouth. The sudden sensation was also enough to get Oswald over the edge. He spared a moment to feel bad for whoever the janitor was tonight.

After a few seconds of catching their breath, Oswald heard a low rumble and then a bunch of toilet paper was offered to him. He stood up and took it, wiping at the corners of his mouth first.

“Thanks.”

“Least I could do.” Ed nodded with a small smile, followed by a beat of silence. “I’m going to wash my hands.”

“Oh, sure.”

There was some awkward shuffling around the stall before Ed slipped out the door. Oswald sighed and grabbed more toilet paper to clean himself up a little more before walking out of the stall. He’d heard Ed talking while the water was running, but he just assumed Ed was muttering to the mirror like usual. He wasn't prepared to see Jim standing there drying his hands. If Oswald had reacted sooner he might’ve been able to duck back inside the stall, but he was too late and Jim’s eyes met his.

Oh god, he felt sick all over again, but the booze wasn’t to blame. Jim looked so...so...well Oswald couldn’t place it. Disgusted? Disappointed? Pity even? Whatever it was, it caused all sorts of knots in Oswald’s stomach, and blocked any words from coming out. Which was fine because Oswald wouldn’t know what to say anyway. He didn’t believe he owed Jim an apology or an explanation for anything, but snarky comments didn’t feel right either.

While things were silent between Oswald and Jim, Ed kept talking, blissfully unaware of any tension in the room. Jim finally turned his attention back to Ed and smiled. “Well, sounds like it’s been an educational week. And uh, safe travels tomorrow, I bet it’ll be good to be back in Gotham.”

Jim glanced at Oswald once more before leaving. Oswald stared after him for a few seconds, still paralyzed by the look from those blue eyes.

Needless to say, on the limo ride back to the manor Oswald made sure to sit as far away from Jim as possible. He thought they could maybe talk after getting back, but Jim was already on the stairs by the time Oswald got inside. Oswald helped Sofia up to her room before retiring to his own. He threw himself on the bed, burying his face in the pillows.


	4. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much talking. Just...so, so much talking.

The next morning Oswald didn’t leave his room. He didn’t even leave his bed. He just stayed under the pile of pillows and covers he built around himself. Eventually there was a knock on his door, and at first he tried to ignore it, but the knocker was persistent. Finally, the knocking was replaced by the creak of the door opening and Sofia shimmied in with a silver tray.

“Did somebody order room service?”

Oswald didn’t bother looking up. “No.”

“Well too bad.” He could feel the mattress sink as she sat down. “Now eat some toast, it’ll help with the coming dose of reality.”

He stuck his hand out of the covers to receive the bread. “What dos-”

“You need to get your ass out of bed.”

Oswald groaned and retreated further into his cave. He heard some rustling as Sofia moved, and then in a flash the covers were ripped from him. He grabbed around for them and whined. “Nooo…”

“Yes. Up, up!”

“No...you don’t understand. After what I did last night, I can never show my face again.”

“What on earth are you talking about? I thought you had a good time last night!”

“I  _ did _ ...until I fucked everything up.”

“ _ You _ fucked everything up? I thought ‘fun police’ Jim was the problem.” Sofia scoffed.

Hearing the name, Oswald put a pillow over his head. Maybe he could smother himself so he wouldn’t have to ever see Jim again.

Apparently this wasn’t the response Sofia was hoping for, so she sat back down. “What? Did something go wrong after that?”

“Big time.” Oswald’s voice was muffled. “I had sex with Ed.”

“You...hexed your head?”

Oswald tossed the pillow aside. “Ugh, no! I had sex with Ed! I should’ve stayed and listened to Jim, but instead I threw it all away for some dick.”

Sofia thought about it for a moment. “Was it at least good dick?”

“I mean...yeah, I’d say it was pretty-” Oswald shook his head. “Wait, that’s not the point!”

“Well then what is the point? If you enjoyed it, what’s wrong?”

Oswald stared at the ceiling. “Jim found out. He  **saw** me come out of the stall.”

“And? So what?”

“So what!” Oswald sat up. “I ruined everything, now he hates me!”

Sofia tilted her head. “I don’t think he-”

“Yes, he does! You didn’t see the way he looked at me!” Oswald fought back tears. “He looked at me like...like I was some filthy whore. It wasn’t even jealousy or anger, just...disappointment and disgust.”

It was quiet for a while, and then Sofia slapped her legs. “Well then, screw ‘em.”

“That’s the exact advice that got me in trouble last night.”

“Trouble? No, if you were having a good time, then that’s Jim’s problem, not yours. You’re a human with a sex drive, and if he doesn’t like it, that’s on him.”

“Actually, it  _ is _ on me because we were supposed to be on a date, but then I go and suck some other guy’s dick.”

“Oh, so now we’re back to calling it a date?”

“Yes. No. Gah, I don’t know! Again, that’s not the point!”

“Well even so, it’s not like Jim’s your boyfriend. You’re not official or exclusive, so you don’t owe him anything.”

“Really? I don’t?” Oswald spoke sarcastically. “So if you went on a date, spent the whole day with someone, and then the next thing you know they’re fucking someone in the bathroom...you wouldn’t feel slighted?”

Sofia stared at him and then looked off to the side. She moved her mouth a few times, trying to form words, but then she shut it and turned back to Oswald. “Thanks, now I’m feeling bad for all the times  _ I’ve _ done that. Never expected the empathy talk from  _ you _ .”

Oswald scoffed a little and shook his head. Sofia gave a small smile, and then they both sat in silence. After several seconds, Sofia pursed her lips. “So...now that you feel bad, what are you going to do to change it?”

“What  _ can _ I do?”

“Well…you could, just a thought, talk to Jim.”

Oswald flopped back on the bed. “But what if he doesn’t want to talk to  _ me _ ?”

“Do you want me to hit you with another volleyball?” Sofia winked. Her joke didn’t go over as well as she thought. “Look, before I can help you, I need to know one thing...do you really like Jim or not?”

“Well...”

Sofia waggled a finger. “No...none of that. Yes or no. Think about it,  _ really _ think about it. And while you’re doing that, think about this too - how  **much** do you like him? Enough to patch this up for the next two days, or enough to actually fix it?”

Oswald sat on the edge of the bed, pensively. He stared at the floor until he noticed Sofia stand up.

She smoothed her shirt and looked back at him. “As much as I’d love to be here for you, I have a whole beach of people I’ve got to host. So when you’ve finished your brunch and introspection...I’ll be waiting outside.”

Before she could leave, Oswald reached out for a hug. “Thanks Sofia. You’re really too good to me.”

“Hey, I just want you to be happy. And since I gave you bad drunk advice last night, I want to give you some good sober advice today.” She let go and smiled. “But no matter what you do...you’ve got to get out of that bed eventually.”

Oswald smiled back as he watched her leave. Then she closed the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

After nibbling his way through the entire tray of food, Oswald continued to pace around the room. He already knew that he liked Jim, but Sofia’s second question was a bit harder to answer. Before the trip he always found Jim attractive, and nice, and a little funny, and...okay, make Sofia was onto something when she called it a crush. A crush didn’t mean much though, Oswald has had countless crushes on cute boys. He used to dote on Victor Fries, but if Victor had been in Jim’s shoes...Oswald realized he wouldn’t have cared if he got caught. He would’ve just shrugged and moved on with his vacation.

So what made Jim special? It wasn’t just the sexual attraction because Oswald got that out of his system the first night. Although, on that note, the obsession could come from how he left Oswald that morning, and now it was a matter of redemption. Possible...Oswald was a man of pride so it wasn’t unusual for him to woo someone just to leave  _ them _ in an act of revenge. Perhaps...but Oswald had already forgiven Jim.

Oswald paced around the room. Pride was ruled out, sex was ruled out - as the main cause of attraction anyway - and it was more than a fleeting crush. Was there such a thing as a lasting crush? Like a more long term…

“Fuck.” He stopped.

That was just called  _ love _ wasn’t it? But he wasn’t  **_in love_ ** ! Didn’t you have to go through a whole dating period where you got to know the other person? Although, he had already known Jim for two years. He already knew a lot of Jim’s favorite things, his hobbies, and future aspirations. Hell, they even met each other’s parents during move-in.

Oswald shook his head and continued walking. No. None of that meant he was in love, that was just them being acquaintances, friends! Hm, but that didn’t fit either; there was the Zsasz loophole. He was close friends with Zsasz, he’d even  **dated** Zsasz, but there was never a time that the feelings he had for Victor lined up with the feelings he had for Jim. Being around Zsasz was like being around a male Sofia, but being around Jim… Every moment felt too short, every smile was contagious, and his heart raced whenever Jim so much as looked at him.

Except for last night. That was a look that made Oswald’s heart drop. And now he somehow had to fix it.

“Fuck.” He stopped again. That’s right. Now he had to make permanent amends.

Things would’ve been so much simpler if he discovered that Jim was only a Spring fling, but realizing that he spent the past two years falling in love with someone complicated matters. He couldn’t just walk up to Jim, say ‘Hey, sorry you caught me having sex in the bathroom, let’s try not to be awkward about it for the next two days’. No, now he actually had to try and earn Jim’s forgiveness, to actually try to repair this thing. If there was anything left to repair.

He couldn’t get Jim’s eyes out of his mind. He wasn’t sure if he could ever fix that - if he could ever erase that crestfallen expression.

Noise from the beach drifted through his window to disrupt his downward train of thought. He looked towards the window. Sofia was right, no matter what he did, he couldn’t do it from inside this room. No matter what, he had to try. He owed at least that much to himself and Jim.

Finally changing out of his pajamas, Oswald mustered up enough courage to head out onto the beach. Although, it still wasn’t a lot of courage so he kept the brim of his hat tight around his face as he went to find Sofia. She was lying on a towel when he walked into her sun.

She pulled down her shades and smiled. “Well, well, well look who it is. I hope this is a quick visit because I’m trying to get an even tan here.”

Oswald had no time for sassy banter and blurted out. “I might love Jim and I need your help.”

Very slowly, Sofia sat up. “What do you need?”

“I-I don’t know exactly.” Oswald crossed his arms. “How do I fix this?”

“Hm…” she took a long pause, “I don’t know.”

“What?”

“Hey, don’t be so surprised. I’ve never been in this situation before, so if it were me I’d have already moved on. I thought you were just going to ask me to get you two some privacy again.”

Oswald groaned and crouched down on the sand. “Great. I have no idea how I’m going to do this.”

“Aw, it’s not completely hopeless.” She patted his shoulder. “You’re exceptionally charming, and if you lead with a sincere apology I’m certain Jim will at least hear you out. From there, all you have to do is...um...you know, just talk about...things.”

“Very specific.”

“It’s not like I can make a script for you, I can’t be perfect at everything.” She paused and smiled. “Just most things.”

Oswald rolled his eyes and stood up. “Well, thanks anyway. At the very least you reassured my plan, but I would ask one more thing of you.”

“Anything...correction, almost anything.”

“Can you tell me where to find Jim?”

“That’s it? You don’t need me to stage any elaborate distraction?”

He scoffed. “No, I think simple and direct would be best this time.”

“Boo, why do apologies have to be so serious?”

“Because...having too much fun is what got me into this mess, and...and I want something serious to come out of it.” He hoped Sofia couldn’t see his blush at the end.

If she did, she didn’t make it known. “Bleh, I think I liked you better when you denied your feelings.”

They chuckled and then she pointed to a group of people in the water. “I  _ think _ he was down there, last I checked. Take some deep breaths, and best of luck.”

Oswald thanked her and readied himself for the challenge ahead. Each step he took only increased his nervousness. How was he supposed to get Jim away from the group anyway? Would he even agree to talk? Oswald remembered to keep breathing as he reached the water’s edge.

However, looking at the people swimming and splashing, he didn’t see Jim. He did see Barbara though, but she didn’t want to tell him anything about Jim’s whereabouts. Thankfully, someone nearby directed Oswald towards the snack table on the deck. Despite having a spread of berries and melons, that venture proved fruitless. A man with far too many banana slices on his plate suggested checking with the volleyball players. He didn’t bump into Jim there either, and was sent back to the sunbathers. Knowing this would only result in an endless loop, Oswald scoured the beach himself, but to no avail. Jim simply wasn’t here.

Disheartened, Oswald decided to slink back to his room until dinner. Then he’d have no chance of missing Jim. Just as he reached for his doorknob, he wanted to smack himself. He was  _ right next door _ to Jim! No wonder Oswald couldn’t find him on the beach, he probably just went back inside!

Oswald was quick to change doors, but his hand froze before he could knock. He couldn’t bear to think about the possibility that Jim wouldn’t open up; or worse, slam the door in his face. Oswald paced around in a circle while taking several calming breaths. No, no matter what happened next, he  **had** to do this. He raised his hand again…

“What are you doing?”

The question made Oswald jump, and then he scowled at the inquisitor who was a few doors down. “What the hell Zsasz?”

“What?” Zsasz ate a slice of cheese off his plate...which was mostly cheese. “Just asking.”

Oswald glared at him in silence, almost silence. The sound of Zsasz chewing filled the air, until he swallowed and asked again. “So...what are you doing?”

Oswald let out an exasperated sigh. “What does it look like? I’m knocking on Jim’s door.”

“Why?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Oh.” Zsasz ate another piece. “So why are you knocking on his door?”

Oswald pinched the bridge of his nose. “Because I fucked up last night okay? I let my stubbornness and pride, and maybe another...more primal emotion, get in the way of my...relationship with Jim. So now I have to apologize and see if I can repair the damage. Need any more details?”

“No. Frankly, I didn’t need your life story at all. I was just wondering why you’d be knocking on his door if you needed to talk to him.”

Oswald spoke slowly. “Because...this is his room.”

Zsasz copied him. “I know...but he’s not in there. So why are you knocking?”

Fighting against every fiber of his being, Oswald didn’t kill his friend. “What?”

“Jim’s not in there. He left a while ago.”

Oswald balled his hands into fists. “If you’re going to tell me he went back out to the beach I’m going to throw you, and myself, down those stairs.”

“Oh that’d be fun, but let me finish the gouda first.” Zsasz shoved several pieces in his mouth, mumbling as he chewed. “As for Jim...not on the beach. Went towards the front door...he had his bag.”

“What?” Oswald’s eyes widened.

“Huh, now that I think about it...quite suspicious.”

Oswald pushed Zsasz. “Why didn’t you  _ lead _ with that!”

“You didn’t ask!” Zsasz said as Oswald raced for the stairs.

Oswald almost tripped on the last step, but caught himself on the railing as he spun to face the entrance. The front door seemed so far away, and he was running out of breath as he flung it open. He came to a halt when he saw Jim sitting on the steps, duffel bag beside him.

Oswald stared for a moment and the name came out on a breath. “Jim.”

Jim barely looked over his shoulder. “Hey.”

Then there was silence. There were only a few steps between them, but Jim felt so far away. Oswald had been preparing to have this talk all day, but all the words he planned on saying failed him. Oswald shuffled his feet, glancing from Jim’s back to the duffel bag.

“A-Are you leaving?” It was a stupid question given the evidence, but it was the only think he could think to say.

Jim was quiet, but then he shrugged. “I think it’s for the best. I said it before, but...I don’t think I fit in here.”

“T-That’s not true. I-I agree the private jets and limos are excessive, but Sofia and I already told you that you’re wel-”

“I’m sorry, let me rephrase that.” Jim still hadn’t looked back. “I meant I don’t fit in with the  _ people _ here. I’m not really into drinking, smoking, or you know, hooking up in a public restroom five feet away from someone who was trying to take care of me.”

Okay, Oswald deserved that, tone and all; but he still felt entitled to his own bout of sass. “Trying to take care of you, or trying to baby you?”

That made Jim look over his shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to baby you.”

“You weren’t?” Oswald tilted his head and started in a mocking tone. “Let’s get you in a booth. You know what’s good?  _ Water _ . Oh, and let’s not forget telling me to sit and stay like a dog.”

Now Jim turned his whole body around. “I’m sorry, I’ve found it works best if someone thinks it’s their idea. Would you have preferred me saying ‘Hey Oswald, I think you’re super drunk and a danger to yourself so why don’t you sit out for a while’?”

“Yes!” Oswald threw up his arms. “I know I can be stubborn when I’m drunk, but I’d much rather have you be upfront with me, instead of treating me like I’m helpless!”

“Well I could say the same for you then. Instead of disappearing, and leaving me with an empty table, worrying about you all night, you could’ve just told me you went off to have sex with your boyfriend!”

“Ed’s not my boyfriend!” Oswald paused a second. “I-Is he telling people I’m his boyfriend?”

Jim turned away with a shout. “Does it matter? We spent the whole day together, I-I thought we-!” He sighed.

Oswald didn’t say anything for some time. “I thought we had a nice day too...”

“Then why’d you do it?” Jim whipped around.

Oswald was caught off-guard by the sudden intensity. “W-Well I… I was upset with how you were treating me, and...obviously drunk, and...and I wasn’t sure what you thought of me. I mean, you’re  _ not _ my boyfriend either so I...didn’t think it’d be a big deal. I know that sounds shitty to say, but...”

Jim’s eyes dropped to the ground, and his voice matched the cracks in the cement. “Big deal…? Oswald, you kissed me only an hour before, and that didn’t mean anything?”

Oswald chewed his bottom lip, knowing he was probably going to regret his next statement. “To be fair...I kiss a lot of different people, especially on this trip. Even Sofia and I kissed one time, so that’s how crazy things usually get.” He tried a chuckle, but the mood was not lightened. “But this year, up until last night, you’re the only person I’ve been…intimate with.”

“Gee thanks, that’s comforting.”

As much as Oswald wanted to fight fire with fire, he restrained from responding with equal sarcasm. Instead, he silently walked down the few steps and sat next to Jim, who barely acknowledged his presence.

“I know I fucked up, and any of my reasons or excuses won’t change that.” There was a moment of silence as Oswald swallowed. “I’m not one to... _ apologize _ for my actions, but if they hurt you...I’m sorry. I can’t undo anything, but I hope you can stay, and we can still be…” He had no idea what to say after that. He couldn’t ask for too much, but even friends seemed far fetched at this point. “I hope we can still be amicable for these last two days.”

Jim snorted. “Amicable?”

Oswald’s face was getting warm. “Well I don’t know! I guess we don’t have to talk at all, or even interact anymore. I just don’t want you to throw away your vacation because of me.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a vacation then.”

“What do-”

“Oswald, I…” he cracked a smile, albeit a small one, “I came here for you.”

Oswald gawked at him, but Jim still didn’t look up as he kept talking. “Sure the beach parties are great, and I’ve got to get to know more people, but I only came because I wanted to get to know  **you** . We’ve lived on the same floor since Sophomore year, we see each other almost every day, but...but I feel we’ve never really gotten the chance to be one on one. So I was looking forward to spending five whole days with you, and maybe by the end I’d...”

He glanced over at Oswald, his gaze was soft as they locked eyes for a few moments. Then he quickly looked at his hands. “I’d have enough courage to tell you how I feel.”

“Jim…”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I got nervous that first morning. I couldn’t believe that I...that we...and I-I panicked because I was worried you’d think it was a mistake.”

Oswald held up a hand. “A-A mistake?” He scoffed a little. “After  _ that _ night?”

“It’s  _ because _ of ‘that night’ that I was nervous!” Jim finally looked up. “I know I was drunk, you were too, and I...I wasn’t sure you would still want me when we were sober.”

“B-But then we talked about it, and I thought it was obvious how I felt when...you know, we kissed on the couch.”

“I started to think that too, but then you were also drinking that night and kissing Zsasz and…”

“I didn’t kiss him!” Oswald got a look. “Well, not exactly...it was for the game! We already clarified the whole partner mix-up, we moved past it.”

“True, and I thought that was going to be the end of it. I really enjoyed our day together, but then that night...you’re drunk again with someone else. I know you laid out your reasons, but all I’m saying is that there’s a pattern.” Jim glanced away. “I want to stay, and I want to be close with you, but...I don’t want to just be some Spring Break statistic.”

Oswald’s eyes went wide and he grabbed Jim’s shoulders. “Jim no! I...I...I  _ care _ about you, Jim. I care about you more than I’ve probably cared about anyone, and...and I know you probably don’t believe that based on my recent actions, but it’s true. I also wanted to spend this trip getting to know you, but...but things just got so confusing and messed up. You’re so much more than a...a beach babe to me!”

Jim laughed a little. “R-Really?”

“Yes! I mean...you’re also a beach hunk, but I like you for so many other reasons. As long as I’ve known you, I’ve liked how kind, patient, and...well I’ve like almost everything about you.”

“Oswald, I...I feel the same. I’ve always liked you too.”

They just smiled at each other for a long time, but then Oswald felt a weight on his heart. He let go of Jim. “Can...can you ever forgive me?”

“Only if you forgive me.”

“For what? You were just trying to be a good person, and I-”

“Yeah...but it was still a little controlling, and judgemental, and I’m sorry.”

Oswald shook his head. “There...there’s nothing to forgive Jim.”

“Well then,” he nodded matter-of-factly, “I can forgive you too. I’m going to believe what you’ve said, and...to avoid any more hurt or confusion, I think we can agree to be more honest and open with each other.”

“Absolutely!” Oswald crossed his heart. “From here on out, you will hear every tiny complaint I have about everything.”

They both chuckled and then Jim pursed his lips. “To uh...to start this new level of openness...can I kiss you?”

Oswald smiled. “Okay, I don’t think we have to be  _ that _ transparent.”

“You can never be too careful.” Jim winked, and then he leaned in to kiss Oswald.

It was soft and sweet, but Jim suddenly pulled away to take his phone out of his pocket. “Shit, hold on, I need to cancel the Uber.” He pressed a few buttons and tucked it away. “Done. Now I am officially back on break.”

Oswald nudged him. “Good, because we’re going to have chicken fights later and I want you on my team.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “It really is a non-stop party around here.”

Oswald kissed his cheek. “We don’t have to.”

“No, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“Oh it will be. Especially when I knock Sofia’s pretty face off.” They shared a look and laughed. Then Oswald straightened up. “And...I’m going to do it completely sober.”

“You don’t have to do that…”

“No, I am, it’s decided. I think I owe you a full day of 100% pure Oswald Cobblepot.” He held up a finger. “Exactly twenty four hours from now though, I can’t promise anything about tomorrow night.”

Jim took Oswald’s hand. “Fair enough.”

They kissed again, and then they both went back inside to drop off Jim’s bag. Zsasz was sitting on the steps eating cheese when they got there, and also when they headed back down to the beach. He offered them some, but was politely declined.

Once outside, they were practically inseparable...practically. There was at least one time where Sofia dragged Oswald to get all the details about his conversation with Jim. Other than a few minor interruptions, they spent the rest of the day together, participating in various activities around the beach. Jim rescued Oswald from another volleyball attack, an honest accident this time, but then he betrayed his date by tossing him in the water later.

After dinner the two of them dominated the chicken fight tournament. As promised, Oswald didn’t visit the bar once. Instead, he stayed cuddled up with Jim watching the moonlight dance on the waves as they just talked about anything and everything. There may have been some light making out, but at the end of the night they gave each other a kiss goodnight and went to their respective rooms. When Oswald threw himself onto the bed this time, it was because he couldn’t stop smiling into his pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the last one has more action in it...


	5. Final Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically what the whole story should've been if there weren't so many complications. It's just fun in the sun, and fluffiness with a touch of heat at the end.

The final morning of Spring Break came with a beautiful sun, and the sounds of birds singing merrily. At least it felt that way to Oswald. He didn’t know how he got so lucky, but he’d somehow made up with Jim, and here they were sitting side by side for brunch. Three days ago Jim had been accepting fruit from Barbara, now he was offering some to Oswald.

After a filling meal, everyone was ready to start the final event of the week: the sandcastle contest.

“It’s the sand  _ sculpture _ contest!” Sofia barked at Jim.

Oswald put a hand on the startled man’s shoulder and whispered loudly. “Because that’s the only label her  _ castles _ fit under.”

She crossed her arms. “They’re postmodern interpretations! It’s called  **art** .”

“I’d say they were  _ deconstructed _ ,” he used air quotes, “but that implies there was some structure to begin with.”

Sofia raised a fist and smiled. “You won’t be so smug when I wipe the beach with you. This year I’ve got a real artist for a partner.”

“I hope you don't mean Zsasz, he failed art."

"No." Sofia stuck out her tongue. "I'm working with  _ Barbara _ ."

Jim tilted his head. "Uh...she's not an artist. She's in the art  **business** , like galleries and things."

Sofia blinked for a few seconds. "Come again?"

Oswald clapped slowly and laughed. Sofia lightly shoved him and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We're still going to kick your ass."

"At least ours will be a  _ castle _ !". Oswald shouted after her.

"They’re  **sculptures** !"

The contest started at the sound of an air horn. Oswald set to work on the structure itself while Jim dashed back and forth fetching buckets of water, or finding shells and decorations. Oswald was no Sudarsan Pattnaik, but he could make a mean sandcastle. Turrets and windows galore, and there was even a staircase leading to the main door. There wasn’t originally going to be a moat, but after Jim tried  _ helping _ with a tower...he was given an easier task. By the time the air horn blew again, they had a decent castle in the sand. The same could not be said about the giant lump of sand, with various seashells sticking out, that was next to them. Oswald smiled and Sofia glared.

However, despite both teams’ efforts, neither of them were crowned the winner. The judge, some guy named Alvarez that Jim apparently knew, chose Zsasz’s castle for its  _ simplicity _ . Thus, Oswald and Sofia were reunited by their belief that the whole thing was rigged, and swearing that they would have revenge. Jim and Barbara tried to reign in their partners, but it was too late…

Sofia and Oswald came running out of the villa with water guns ablazing. She had enough respect not to hurt Zsasz’s castle, but she didn’t mind aiming right at his bald head. The first hit took him by surprise, but he dodged the others as he ran for the lounge chairs. Then, as if planning for this moment, he reached underneath and pulled out an enormous super soaker and started firing back. Soon the whole beach was scrambling to either join the fray or get away. People were in and out of the house grabbing water weapons, or stopping to reload in the ocean.

Oswald lobbed a water balloon, and then hid behind Jim. “He might have us out gunned, but we’ve got him outnumbered.”

Jim shook his head. “At this point...are there even sides anymore? Because it just looks like anarchy to me.”

“Well  _ I _ still have a mission, and we’re not leaving until Zsasz admits defeat.”

“Wait... _ we _ ? I’m not invol-”

Oswald shoved a water pistol into Jim’s hands. “You are now.”

“Wait...wait, Oswald-”

“For castle Cobblepot!” Oswald charged back into battle.

“Oswald, come back!”

Despite any earlier protests, Jim stormed the beach right alongside him. They made pretty good progress towards Zsasz’s sand bunker, but then tragedy struck. A water grenade was launched over the barricade and Jim jumped in the way of it to save Oswald.

“Jiiimmm! Nooo!” Oswald flung himself in the sand to hold the fallen soldier. “Stay with me Gordon.”

He coughed dramatically. “No...no, just leave me.”

“Oh don’t talk like that. We’ll get you a towel, you’ll recover.” Oswald rubbed the spot where the water balloon hit. “You’re too young and beautiful to die.”

Jim put a hand on Oswald’s cheek. “Oswald, Oswald please...tell…” a fake cough, “tell my professor why I can’t do my final.”

“Of course, I promise.” Oswald leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll never forget you.”

“Goodbye...Cobblepot.” Jim went limp and stuck out his tongue.

Oswald gently laid him in the sand and then grabbed his water pistol. “Don’t worry...I  _ shall _ avenge you.”

He stood up and charged for Zsasz’s hideout with a battle cry. Aided by Sofia, Barbara, and a few other guests, they overtook the dune and soaked the poor man from bald head to toe. With the admission of defeat, the war was ended. Despite all odds, Oswald was able to revive Jim with a few more kisses. Then everyone trickled inside so they could start getting ready for the main event, the final party.

* * *

Just like the first night, Oswald joined Sofia in her room to get dressed and primped. Sofia had her entire wardrobe spread over the bed, and Oswald was sitting at the vanity, sifting through palette after palette of makeup. Sofia picked up a black dress with a slit up the side, considered it, and then threw it on the floor.

“Ugh, all these clothes were so cute when I bought them! What happened?”

“I can’t tell you how many times I went through my closet thinking the same thing. And honestly,” Oswald held out his arms to show off his shimmering purple ensemble, “I’m not sure if I’m sold on it.”

“But you should be! You look amazing!” Sofia smiled wide, but then dropped it immediately. “But I’m in serious trouble! This is the  **last** party, I have to outshine everybody and anybody...including myself! I knew I should’ve saved that first outfit.”

“Oh come on, you’ve got  _ something _ , I know you do.” Oswald turned around in the chair.

“Now, I can’t remember...did I wear this red romper before?”

“Honey...it still has the tags on it.”

“Oh.” Sofia took a closer look. “Well that explains why I can’t remember. Hm...hmm...I think this could work. I have a nice gold necklace and bangles I could wear, and I’m thinking...gladiator sandals?”

“Ooo, those would be nice, they really show off your calves.”

“Perfect, it’s settled!” She lumped all the rejects together and tossed them in her closet. “So...let’s solve your problem.”

Oswald held up two compacts. “I’m between these.”

“Wow, I didn’t know we were leaning towards blue tonight.”

“Well I...I uh...I wanted to match Jim.” He blushed. “He’s going to be wearing blue, his eyes are blue, my eyes are blue...ish…”

Sofia had both hands pressed together at her lips, smiling. She raised her eyebrows twice. Oswald turned back around. “Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to ask.”

Sofia wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Aww...my bestie’s got a BF.”

“He’s  **not** my boyfriend!” Oswald paused and smirked. “Yet. But like I already told you, we’re trying to take it slow.”

“Trying and failing, you two have been all over each other lately. And...you said it in the beginning, this week must always start and end with a  _ bang _ .” She patted his shoulder.

“I don’t think he’s going to go for that. After everything that happened, I’m surprised he’s even kissing me.”

Sofia stood up and chuckled. “Oh yeah, especially knowing where that mouth has been.”

Oswald threatened to throw an eyeliner at her. “Shut up! I brush my teeth, I’m clean.”

She stopped and then gasped. “Oh my god...now that you're sorta official with Jim...does this mean you’re  actually going to have to **_study_** for things?”

They looked at each other and started laughing, but Oswald’s quickly petered out. “Oh shit...I’m going to fail stats aren’t I?”

“Meh, you might pull out a C-. Now here’s a realization you can  _ really _ be thankful for.” She tapped one of the palettes on her way to get changed. “This particular shade pairs really well with all your purple.”

* * *

Sofia gathered everyone on the deck. However, unlike the first night, there was nothing set up for a party. The strings of lights weren’t even on, just the city in the distance and the ships bobbing in the water. Jim smiled when Oswald approached, greeting him with a peck as Sofia held out her arms to address the small crowd.

“Esteemed guests, friends, and randos who have tagged along...our time together is unfortunately coming to a close. These past few days have been filled with fun, challenges, and fun challenges.” There were a few chuckles. “But tonight...that’s all about to end. So...to celebrate the death of freedom and frivolity, I have a special treat for you all.”

Jim leaned over to Oswald. “Let me guess...are fireworks going to go off, and it’s going to be timed so that the lights come on and there’s going to be a big reveal? Or wait...is it all a distraction while something gets set up inside the mansion?”

“Don’t ask me, my lips are sealed.”

Jim studied Oswald’s face, especially his supposedly sealed lips. They both smiled and started to lean in. The blaring of a horn interrupted them, and then the beach lit up as one of the ships turned on their floodlights. Sofia held out her arms.

“We get to use the yacht!” She started clapping and everyone else joined in with cheers.

On the way to the dinghy, Oswald nudged Jim. “So...about those fireworks and-”

“Har, har I was wrong.” Jim slung his arm around Oswald. “I should’ve known there was going to be some extravagant display of wealth.”

Oswald stuck out his tongue and they got into the little boat. Once everyone was transferred to the yacht they filed onto the main deck. There were multiple levels of colored lights, tables full of food, a bar, and plenty of seating. Sofia walked forward and gestured around the yacht.

“As I said in the beginning, I shall say at the end...eat, drink, be merry, but whatever you do...don’t break my shit.” She bowed, but then immediately straightened up. “Oh! And that includes throwing things overboard. If I catch any of you disobeying these rules then it’ll be  _ you _ going overboard.” She popped on a smile. “Enjoy!”

Oswald beelined for the food, practically pulling Jim with him. They loaded up plates and sat on one of the built in couches. Talking and eating, Oswald held up a small pastry.

“You know...I hate spinach, but add cheese and bacon and wrap it in flaky dough...and suddenly it’s bearable.”

Jim laughed and picked up his own puff. “Agreed.”

As they took a bite, they almost choked. Zsasz bounced between them and threw his arms around the back of the couch. “And how are we doing over here? No hard feelings about earlier, right Jimbo?”

Jim cleared his throat. “Of course not, just as long as you stop calling me ‘Jimbo’.”

“Got it Jimjam.” He tapped his forehead and then turned his attention to Oswald. “Anyway...I’m here to tell you about an amazing opportunity. Sofia said you were toning things down recently, but here me out…”

Oswald waited patiently, but Zsasz appeared to be frozen. After what felt like an hour of prolonged build up, Zsasz continued.

“Yacht shots.” He snapped his fingers.

Oswald rolled his eyes and smiled. “Yacht shots?”

“Yacht. Shots. Shots on a yacht!” Zsasz fired some finger guns.

Oswald chuckled. “Well...with a name that catchy, how can I say no?”

“Awesome. I knew there was still some fun left in you.” He clapped his hands and stood up. “I’m going to let Sofia know we need that other glass.”

He started to walk away, but then pivoted back to point at Jim. “Wait...I should probably ask you too, you in?”

Jim glanced at Oswald, back to Zsasz, and then awkwardly shrugged. “Uh...sure. Yeah, yeah I’ll do one or two.”

“Really?” Zsasz tilted his head. “Damn, we only had the one extra glass...but I’m sure we can find something.”

“O-Oh, well if it’s going to be trouble then-”

“No, no we’ll figure something out.” Zsasz rubbed his chin as he walked off.

“No really! I don’t want to be any…” Jim called after him, but then just sighed, “hassle.”

Oswald snickered. “It’s too late, you’re in for it now.”

“Yeah, you’re in for it too.” Jim scoffed, but looked at his plate. “With whatever bit of fun I didn’t suck out.”

Oswald smacked his arm. “Oh come on, Zsasz didn’t mean it like that. You’re not a fun sucker Jim, you’re a responsible adult.”

“Well...I don’t want my  _ responsibility _ getting in the way. I know I’m not as social as you, and I don’t want to drag you down with me in the future.”

_ In the future _ . Oswald felt his heart skip a beat, and he put a hand on Jim’s leg. “You don’t drag me down, and...you  **won’t** . We might not always run with the same crowd, but at the end of the day, we...we would still run to each other. Besides, i-it’s good to have some differences. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.”

“That’s true.” Jim smiled, but then it dimmed. “I just don’t want it to seem like I’m keeping you from anything. Like last night-”

Oswald scoffed and held up a hand. “Alright, I’m going to try to explain this one more time. You’re not  _ keeping _ me from anything because that would imply I’m letting you make decisions for me. I didn’t drink last night because I didn’t want to, and tonight I want to; but I don’t want to be drunk tonight because I still want to have fun with you. That’s right,  _ with _ you because I would never let you suck fun out of me, I’d only let you suck-” Oswald stopped his speech right there and shoved a spinach puff in his mouth.

Jim laughed. “I’m sorry, what was that? It sounded like you were going to finish that sentence.”

Oswald swallowed. “S-Sentence? What sentence? I’m not finishing anything.”

“No?” Jim leaned in. “Too bad, I kinda wanted to hear the end of it.”

Oswald swallowed even though there was no food left in his mouth. “Y-You did?”

Jim nodded slowly. He let Oswald’s face turn pink before speaking. “So...maybe we could finish it later? On dry land?”

“Well…” Oswald pursed his lips, “we  _ could _ also finish that pesky sentence here. You didn’t hear it from me, but this ship has a bedroom that would be perfect for...talking.”

Jim leaned back. “Really? What, is it like a four poster bed? Or maybe solid gold.”

“Oh shut up, it’s not unusual for boats to have somewhere to sleep.” Oswald paused. “Although...this one  _ is _ a four poster,  **but** the posters connect to the ceiling for stability purposes, not just to show-off.”

“Uh huh.”

“Well you can judge it once you see it,” Oswald stood up, “but we should probably catch up with Sofia and Zsasz.”

Jim sighed. “It’s only polite.”

“That’s right. A lot of work went into this party, and the least we could do is enjoy it.” Oswald smirked. “Besides, you already caused so much trouble by demanding they find you a glass.”

Jim stood up too. “Okay, that was  **not** my fault…”

* * *

Only two yacht shots were taken, but Oswald and Jim lingered on deck for some time afterwards. There was still a dancefloor to hit, and Jim insisted they give shuffleboard a go. Oswald pestered him about it being an ‘old person game’, but then he would just point out that Oswald was losing. After agreeing to never play shuffleboard again, Jim pulled Oswald into his arms.

“So...have we fulfilled our duty as polite guests?”

Oswald firmly placed his hands on Jim’s shoulders. “Have you always been this impatient?”

“What do you expect? I’m an  _ old man, _ I don’t have time to wait.” He chuckled and rubbed his nose against Oswald’s.

“Well, we’ve done everything  **on** deck so I suppose we can explore  **below** deck now.”

Oswald gave Jim a peck and then they held hands as they went further into the ship. The halls were narrow, but Sofia had invited him aboard so many times that Oswald knew the exact door he was looking for. He gave Jim another kiss, actually several more, outside the room, and then he reached for the knob. Distracted by Jim, he turned it the wrong way. Trying two more times, he finally pulled away to focus on the handle. No matter which way he twisted it, the door didn’t open. However, they were able to solve the problem before Jim had to throw his shoulder against it.

A loud yell escaped into the hall. They exchanged a look, and Oswald laughed quietly. “Sofia, Sofia, Sofia...leaving her  _ own _ party. I cannot  **wait** to use this against her later.”

Jim scoffed. “I’m glad there’s an upside for you, but um...what about  _ us _ ?”

“Well…” Oswald stepped closer, “this boat was designed to host parties not sleepovers, but there might be another room. Although, it’s more ‘standing room only’.”

Jim seemed less than thrilled with that news. “It’s not the bathroom is it?”

Oswald’s face dropped immediately. While he tried to think of something to say, Jim smiled. “Too soon?”

Oswald blushed and punched his shoulder. Jim chuckled and put his arms around Oswald. “I’m sorry, but you should know that I’m only joking because I’m over it.”

Oswald fought back a smile until Jim kissed his forehead. Then they simply stared at each other in their embrace. After a few moments of gazing, Jim pursed his lips. “So...when you said ‘standing room only’, does that include  _ kneeling _ or not?”

“Hm, I’m not sure, I guess we’ll have to find out.” Oswald winked.

Jim gave him a peck. “It had better because...if I recall correctly, we made a deal at the beginning of the week that needs to be completed.”

It took Oswald a second, by the memory resurfaced and he smirked. “Well then, we have no time to lose.” He tugged Jim into a kiss and then started backing him down the hall.

* * *

Their lips were locked together almost all the way to the door. Thankfully this one wasn’t locked, so it took minor fumbling to get it open and tumble in, giggling as they closed the door. It was a mere storage room, but Jim kicked some things aside so he had Oswald pinned against the wall. That’s when his kisses started drifting to Oswald’s jaw and neck.

Oswald pulled Jim’s body closer while running his hands through his hair. Jim nipped at Oswald’s collarbone as he undid the other man’s shorts, snaking his hand inside. Oswald moaned and pressed against him. “Mm, eager much?”

Jim stopped to raise his head. “Well I’ve only been thinking about this for four days.”

The whispered words made Oswald’s mouth fall open. Jim chuckled low and leaned in to suck Oswald’s lower lip. “Is it really that much of a surprise?”

Oswald lifted Jim’s chin with a finger. “You haven’t been the easiest to read.”

“Fair enough,” a quick peck, “I swear I’ll be better.” Another, longer, kiss. “If you’re patient enough to let me practice.”

Oswald bit his lip. “I hope you mean later because I’m not feeling very patient now.”

Jim smirked and went in for an open mouthed kiss as his hands slid down to Oswald’s waistband again. There wasn’t much room to move, but Oswald tried to help by shimming out of his pants and underwear. Still, there was just enough room for Jim to lower himself to his knees.

He started with a few lazy strokes, and then spared one glance at Oswald before wrapping his lips around the head. He wasted little time, sucking hard as he went further and further.

Oswald’s hands were grabbing at Jim’s blonde hair. “Oh god! Fuck...Jim…” When he had a good grip, he actually pulled Jim off. “Can’t...you go a little slower?”

“Slower?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Just a bit? It’s not a race.”

Jim scoffed. “Of course.”

He was true to his promise and licked a very slow strip from base to tip. He did the same on the other side, keeping his eyes locked with Oswald, who was squirming against the wall. He flicked his tongue across the slit.

“Slow enough?”

Oswald gritted his teeth. “Oh shut up.”

Jim apologized for his teasing by kissing the tip of Oswald’s cock; and then he stretched his lips around the entire head. He was far less aggressive this time, and occasionally stopped to swirl his tongue around or gently use his teeth. Oswald was mewling and panting, but even over his noise he heard a zipper being pulled. He looked down to see that Jim was stroking himself in time with his sucking.

Jim’s cock was just as enticing as Oswald remembered, and he wished they could switch places, if only for a moment. Although it was hard to pass up his current position. Having the wet heat of Jim’s mouth around his whole length, and then being able to watch the rest. Jim’s face pressed against his groin, bobbing back and forth, while his hand was tugging up and down his own shaft.

Oswald had one hand flat against the wall, as if the metal could cool him down, and the other was making an absolute mess of Jim’s hair. It didn't make much difference though because Jim was already looking like a mess. Eyes partially closed, saliva dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, and precum starting to cover his fingers. He was still unbelievably handsome.

"Ohhh Jim...oh fuck you're so hot."

Whether in agreement or thanks, Jim hummed. Or maybe it was a moan. Oswald was too distracted by the vibrations surrounding his cock to tell. He tilted his head back with a groan of his own. Oswald’s hips involuntarily jerked, but Jim didn’t seem to mind. He just readjusted and gave Oswald’s thigh an encouraging squeeze with his free hand. Taking the cue, Oswald moved his hips again.

Their pace sped up and Oswald was convinced the whole boat could hear his gasps and cries. Jim’s lewd sounds were at least muffled, but it didn’t matter much because his would simply amplify Oswald’s. Oswald’s loudest shout was when he finally came and the entire city of Miami was probably wondering who this ‘Jim’ was. The city was probably wondering who ‘Oswald’ was too because that’s the name Jim shouted when he came a few moments later.

Now it would’ve been better if the bedroom had been available so they could just cuddle up next to each other, but they made do. Oswald half-helped, half- pulled, Jim up by his collar, and they just leaned against the wall and held each other close. It was quiet for several seconds, simply enjoying the intimacy, and then Jim mumbled into Oswald’s hair.

“I don’t want to go back out. Could we just live on this yacht?”

Oswald scoffed. “No we can not. I won’t risk having you talk to Carmine Falcone.”

“Mm, I’d be more scared of Sofia thinking I was taking you away from her.”

They both chuckled and went silent until they finally decided to leave. They cleaned up as best they could in the storage room and then went out to rejoin the party as they were on their way to dock.

That night, Jim joined Oswald in his room, but they did nothing more than sleep next to each other. The morning was a different story, but no one seemed to notice when they were late for breakfast.

Just like the plane ride there, the flight back was similar in terms of conversation, but now Jim and Oswald were holding hands. Sofia teased them a bit, but she countered it by gushing about how cute they were; with the exception of threatening Jim if he tried to steal her best friend.

When they landed, Jim helped carry their luggage to their floor and even hung around in Oswald’s room before going off to his own dorm. The next few days fell right back into routine, but now whenever Jim and Oswald would cross paths in the hall, they would exchange a quick kiss or talk about an upcoming date. Even without the beach and the sunshine, their time together felt like a never ending vacation.


End file.
